I'll See You Around
by Gaba17
Summary: Set in Season 2. When Henry runs away from the Charming home, Emma and Regina are forced to look at their tumultuous relationship in order to give him the family that he needs. They grow from enemies, to friends and possibly something more than either could have imagined. But will their shared and separate pasts prove to be an obstacle too great to overcome.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is set before 2x10 and the whole debacle with Archie and Cora. Basically I'm taking a few creative liberties with some of the events of the second season and I hope you will all just enjoy the ride.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT. I just have an overactive imagination. That goes for the rest of the chapters.**

Chapter One

Snow White sat on a bench outside the school building and watched as the children poured out of the front door bundled in scarves and large jackets to fend off the chilly breeze that autumn had brought with it. Obviously, it was unnecessary. It would still be a while before the cold stab of winter truly settled in. But overprotectiveness seemed synonymous with parenthood. More so now than ever before.

The children talked, laughed, wrestled seemingly unaffected by all of the major changes that had occurred in Storybrooke. As she wrapped her arms around herself, Snow mused at how much her own life had changed. She had gone from a lonely school teacher to a queen with a husband, an adult daughter and a grandson. She smiled at the image of Henry's face beaming up at her and calling her 'grandma'. It warmed her instantly. The happy ending she had always dreamed of was just within her reach. If she could just get her daughter Emma to accept her new life and get rid of Regina and find a way back home to the Enchanted Forest then all would be right again in her world. She sighed at the thought of the magical world she missed so dearly. Being back, even for such a short time had been wonderful. She had felt like herself- strong, decisive and completely unlike Mary Margaret. But for now, Storybrooke was her home. Her family was here and that was all that she needed.

The parade of children was reduced to a few stragglers. She scanned their faces. None of them was Henry. With a prick of anxiety, she stood and walked over to one of the children. They had not seen Henry since the final bell hand rung. That was almost fifteen minutes ago. She thanked the child and briskly walked past him to Henry's classroom. His teacher thought he had already left. He had been in such a rush to leave the classroom. The teacher had thought it odd initially but did not question it.

Snow's niggling anxiety spread. The two women searched classroom after deserted classroom, bathrooms, the sports field, every corner where he could be nestled with a book- there was nothing. No sign of Henry.

Snow took a deep breath as she pulled out her cell phone. Her fingers shook as she dialled and placed it against her ear.

"_Yup" _Emma's preoccupied voice responded on the other end of the line.

"Emma," Snow began tentatively. "Is Henry with you?"

"_No, I thought he was coming home with you."_

Snow sighed resting her forehead in her hand.

"_What's wrong?" _ Emma asked attempting to control her panic.

"Henry's missing."

* * *

Regina Mills scrubbed her marble kitchen counter with all of the aggression and precision one would expect from an evil queen. Not that a queen would be doing her own housework. And not that the house could possibly get any cleaner. Henry's absence meant there were no scuff marks on her tiles, or dirty dishes in the sink or sneakers to trip over on the staircase. She had always been immaculate about her own belongings and so now the house truly looked like no one lived in it. Nothing was out of place and there wasn't a dust mite in sight.

She no longer cooked dinner as the image of eating it alone only depressed her. She just sat in front of the fire with glass after glass of her apple cider praying that there would be a knock at the door heralding Henry's return. But no one knocked on her door. Soon cider became bourbon.

And so, completely by default, housework had suddenly become Regina's only occupation. Now that she was no longer mayor, there was nothing else for her to do. She was incapable of sleeping-in, relaxing and enjoying her recent unemployment. There was a reason she had never taken a vacation. The silence made her anxious. She could hear the ticking of the clocks and the distant sound of cars reminding her that life was continuing without her. The world that she created was not hers anymore. The inability to scheme and plot mad her fists clench from the infuriating boredom her life had been reduced to. So she'd get up, get dressed and pace her house desperate for something to do. She could not practise magic thanks to her promise to Henry, she could barely leave her house for fear one the village idiots would demand her head on a stick and the very last thing she wanted was to run into one of those damn Charmings.

So she stayed indoors and cleaned. She scrubbed and dusted and vacuumed until her muscles tensed and ached from the physical exertion. It was the masochist in her enjoying the pain.

Angry cleaning.

It was not perfect but it would have to do. Anything to stop her from blowing everything in the pathetic town to bits. And everyone in it too.

Except Henry.

Just as the smell of cleaning agents was starting to get to her, Regina's head snapped up at the sound of banging on her front door. She frowned- this hadn't happened in a while. A part of her was not in the mood for whoever decided to stomp over to her house just to give her grief about how she had ruined their life. It was not exactly like her life was going so well either. The other part of her was looking forward to some human interaction even if it was sub-par company. She had not put someone in their place in a long time.

She craned her neck to one side to loosen a kink in her muscle, straightened her back and strode to the front door following the sound of the incessant banging. She unlocked and opened the door and audibly groaned at the sight of Snow White, David and Emma. So much for avoiding the Charmings. She stepped forward and stood in her doorway while placing her hands on her hips exuding all the evil queen attitude she could muster.

An evil queen in jeans and trainers.

"Where is he?" David barked. The veins along his neck looked ready to explode.

"I can't imagine I know what you're talking about." Regina responded glibly.

"Just tell us the truth, Regina." Snow was considerably calmer than her husband. However, Regina registered the fear in her eyes and it was mirrored in Emma's. It made her blood turn cold.

"What's happened?"

"We can't find Henry." Emma replied.

"What?! You lost him?!" Regina leaned toward Emma. The blonde dropped her gaze beneath Regina's glare for a moment. She then looked up with a hopeless shrug.

Before Regina could register this new information, David pushed past her and marched into the house bellowing out Henry's name. Snow quickly slipped in behind him leaving Emma and Regina staring at each other in the doorway.

"We've called everyone, looked everywhere. Nothing." Emma explained. Her voice was brittle as she ran her fingers through her blonde curls. Regina had never seen the younger woman, the Saviour, so lost and… scared. It unnerved her. The same fear began to bubble within the pit of Regina's stomach. She thought about the first time Henry had run away and the horror that seized her. Little did she know that she had more than his safety to fear. In Emma Swan, he had brought with him the end of her happiness. She had to keep her wits about her this time. Now that magic had returned, who knew what disaster could befall them this second time?

"Henry!" David's voice boomed again.

Regina turned on her heel and took a step toward him, "Would you stop that! He isn't here."

"You… have him. I know you do. You're using… your magic again." He accused as he pointed at her. His face was bright red with anger and frustration. His breathing was erratic.

"I've barely seen him. And I promised Henry that I wouldn't use magic."

"Right, and you're such an… honest… person."

Snow White reached out and touched David's elbow in an attempt to calm him. He was hyperventilating. He had been running on adrenalin and desperation.

Emma stepped into the house. She stopped, caught in the space between her distraught parents and the only person who could truly understand her own distress- her son's other mother.

"I don't think he's here." Emma sighed helplessly.

"You can't be sure." Snow argued; her arm around her husband as he tried to regulate his breathing.

"If she used her magic to take him, they'd be long gone by now. I mean, why would she still be here for us to catch her?" Emma reasoned.

David and Snow both looked from their daughter to each other in resignation. At least they were not completely devoid of common sense.

In the brief moment of silence, Regina's mind started working. She had to find her son and she could not leave it to these fools. If something magical was at play here, she was her son's best chance. As she looked up, she caught Emma's eyes focused on her. She instantly felt uncomfortable beneath the gaze as though Emma could read her thoughts. Without breaking the eye contact, Emma walked over to Regina.

"What are you thinking?" Emma's voice was low.

"Nothi-" Regina started.

"Don't bullshit me, Regina. I can tell when you're planning something and if it helps find Henry, I want in."

Regina stole a glance at Snow who led David to the bottom of the long staircase and sat him down to help him calm himself. If she found Henry on her own, she could take him away. They could go into hiding until she found a way to get back to the Enchanted Forest. They could be happy- just the two of them. There was nothing keeping her in Storybrooke. They could just start again.

She turned back to Emma's green eyes which looked at her with a hint of desperation. "Please, Regina. Help me find our son."

Regina recognised the terror that no doubt wracked Emma's body. She had felt it too when Henry had run away from her and when he had been trapped in the mine. In both instances, Emma had brought him back to Regina. She supposed that if he somehow made his way out of Storybrooke, the sheriff was the only one who could possibly bring him back.

"It involves…" Regina dropped her voice even lower so that only Emma could hear her.

"Magic?" Emma guessed.

Regina nodded. "But Henry..."

"He ran away. That makes that promise null and void." Emma checked herself. "For now."

"Okay. But you have to get rid of them. And they can't know."

Emma looked back at her parents who were staring at the two women and, no doubt, trying to figure what the Evil Queen and White Knight could possibly be whispering about. Emma turned back to Regina clearly torn between trusting her enemy and being honest with her parents. Finally, she nodded slightly and walked over to Snow and David. They were clearly upset with Emma's plan: they needed to go back and help the rest of the townsfolk look for Henry. Emma would stay with Regina in case David was right about her. It took a great deal of arguing and cajoling on Emma's part but eventually her parents begrudgingly left with a final warning look at Regina.

As she closed the door behind them, Emma turned to Regina. "Alright, get to it."

**So this is my very first attempt at fanfiction! If you're at least slightly interested, let me know so I can keep on keeping on.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N 1: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited this story. You all have no idea how encouraged I feel by it. And a special shout out to Donoterase who is my very first reviewer/follower! I have written a few chapters ahead so hopefully I can maintain that and update this story more regularly.**

**A/N 2: Just to prepare you all this will be one of those slow burn fics. Even though we all know our ladies are madly in love, they still need to catch up with the rest of us. But, when it happens it will really happen. So please hang in there with me.**

**Oh, and enjoy! **

Chapter Two

"Alright, get to it."

Regina grimaced at that, "Contrary to what you may think Miss Swan, magic does actually require some skill and finesse."

"Oh, so you mean magic doesn't just magically happen? Bummer."

Regina rolled her eyes with a slight shake of her head. She turned and walked out of the foyer and Emma quickly followed.

As they made their way through the house, the apprehension that Emma had felt ever since Snow's earlier phone call only increased. The news of their child's absence was the worst thing a parent could hear. She had not taken a moment to process it. She had simply jumped into action mode. She called everyone and drove all over town until Snow had called her with David's insistence that Regina had kidnapped him.

She did not know if she believed it but she refused to take any chances- not with Henry. But one look at Regina's surprised expression, and Emma knew she was innocent. Regina was a good liar but not even she could fake that.

And now after everything that had happened lately, she was choosing to trust Regina. She had always been wary of the older woman but, of late, Regina had been desperately trying to show Henry that she was different. That she was no longer evil. She had saved Emma's life at that well and, although she was sure it took Henry's convincing, it made an impression on Emma.

No one else seemed convinced of the Evil Queen's change of heart. Many were certain she did not have one. And, at various times, not even Emma was sure. But this was about Henry. If there was one thing that Emma was completely sure of when it came to Regina, she would do anything to protect him. It was a blessing and a curse.

Regina stopped at a door that seemed to come out of nowhere for the pensive Emma. She unlocked it, opened and stepped aside slightly.

"After you." Regina gestured through the door. Emma leaned forward to take a peek inside. It was dark. Too dark. She may trust Regina's feelings for Henry but Emma was not stupid. She leaned back.

"Age before beauty." Emma quipped.

Regina gave a sarcastic smile. She stepped into the doorway and switched on the light revealing a descending staircase. She then looked back at Emma over her shoulder.

"You know, Princess, you could have just said that you were scared of the dark."

"I'm not…"

But Regina had already begun her graceful descent down the stairs and Emma, true to form, pounded down the stairs behind her.

"I can't believe you lost my son." Regina's tone was more disapproving than usual but lacked the bite that Emma had come to expect. There was a shift in their exchanges. The mayor of Storybrooke was black and white but the Evil Queen- this Regina- was a disconcerting shade of grey. Emma could see that she was tortured by her past. She was like a wounded animal banished to her house. It made her more vulnerable and, in some ways, more dangerous.

"I didn't lose him. He ran away," Emma tried to control the simmering irritation she felt at the accusation.

"That's considerably worse."

"I remember that he ran away from you once upon a time."

Regina stopped and Emma's arms flew out so that her palms hit against the walls of either side of the narrow staircase in order to stop herself from running straight into the brunette's back.

"Whoa!" Emma exclaimed as she tried to find her balance.

"Please refrain from using those ridiculous words around me," Regina snarled.

Emma frowned in confusion and then it clicked. She then gave a sly grin in understanding.

"Wait, the Evil Queen doesn't like fairytales?" Emma asked feigning shock.

Regina turned to Emma, their faces closer than either of them would usually be comfortable with however neither one of them would dare step back as if it would be conceding some kind of power or defeat.

"What is your intention here, Miss Swan? To goad me or find Henry?"

Emma gave a small guilty sigh and gestured for Regina to continue. The two women made it to the bottom of the stairs in silence. Emma stood in the middle of what looked like a hole in the ground filled with shelves of bottles of wine and cider.

Regina made her way to a large chest in the corner of the room which she opened. She pulled out an item wrapped in a dark blue sheet and laid it on the ground kneeling before it. She unwrapped it revealing an oval mirror with an ornate silver frame about half a metre long. Emma stood behind Regina.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Emma asked breaking their silence.

"It's going to show me where he is."

Regina held up the mirror with both hands and closed her eyes.

"Wait!" Emma said in a panic.

"What now?"

"What if it doesn't work? Or what if it does something weird? I mean, okay, you have your magic back but… it's been kinda hinky."

Regina looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, "Hinky?"

"You know what I mean."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Fine. Let's do it together."

Emma froze. Her mind flashed back to the magic she had created with Regina and the magic hat. She had acted on instinct that day- an instinct she did not understand. She had no idea where it had come from and if she could even do it again.

In the nights that she spent in a world filled with magic and far from her son in the so-called real world, she recalled the moment she had placed her hand on Regina's arm. She could see the purple smoke moving around them as though they were in the eye of a brewing tornado. The feeling was intense and overwhelming and unlike anything she had ever felt before. And if that wasn't crazy enough, it happened with Regina. It scared her.

But that was nothing in comparison to Cora trying to rip out her heart. Sometimes, in the dead of night, Emma would wake up in a cold sweat clutching at her chest convinced that she could feel the witch's fingers beneath her skin clawing at her heart.

Not too long ago, she didn't even believe in magic and now it seemed like it somehow was a part of her. It was all too much.

"Then I'll do it by myself." Regina huffed impatiently snapping Emma out of her spiralling thoughts.

Obviously, she had mistaken Emma's silence as non-compliance.

"Regina, wait!"

It was too late. The purple cloud of smoke began to swirl around them. Regina tightened her grip around the mirror and bowed her head.

"Show me Henry." Regina whispered.

Emma leaned over until she was on her tip-toes as she peered into the mirror which clouded over with the smoke. Regina looked up into the mirror. Emma wondered how long this was supposed to take.

"Show me Henry." Regina said with a little more force.

The mirror reflected nothing but the purple smoke.

"Show him to me dammit!" Regina commanded. Her knuckles turned white from how tightly she gripped the mirror. Her hands began to shake. Afraid that she would smash the mirror, Emma dropped to her knees and placed her right hand on Regina's shoulder. The brunette instantly stiffened at the touch but Emma maintained her grip. Regina's hand still shook. Emma's automatically moved on its own to cover it. The skin on the back of Regina's hand was hot to the touch. The tension in Regina's shoulders subsided.

"Show me Henry." Regina tried again considerably calmer.

Suddenly, the smoke gave way to an image of Henry asleep on a bus with his head bobbing against the window and his book of fairytales held protectively in his lap.

"There he is! Thank God he's okay. What bus is that? What bus is that, Regina?!" Emma rambled on excitedly.

"Sssh!" Regina snapped back. "Show me the bus."

The image in the mirror changed to the front of the bus with neon orange sign reading New York.

"New York? What the hell's in New York?"

"I… I don't know." Regina faltered.

Emma stood up and pulled her cell phone out of her jacket pocket. She called the bus company with a description of Henry and strict instructions to leave the boy at the sheriff's office in the next town they stopped in. The man on the other end of the line, a particularly inefficient employee named Steve, argued that Emma's demands were not their protocol. He did not know Sheriff Emma Swan.

"You listen to me you little turd. That is my son on that bus and if anything happens to him I will personally sue you and your company for everything you have and then some. Got it? Good." She ended the call.

Emma just caught the end of Regina's amused look at her tirade on the phone.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Nothing. I just didn't think you had it in you to play the bad guy with anyone but me." Regina responded looking almost impressed.

"Special circumstances." Emma shrugged.

The two women looked at each other for a moment. Emma dropped her eyes to her hand which still tingled slightly from the magic. Or was it the power that emanated from their touch? She held it up for a moment and clenched it into a fist.

"I didn't think it would work again."

"It would seem we make quite the magical combination." Regina conceded.

"That's… scary."

Regina nodded.

"I should go," Emma said feeling a little awkward in Regina's presence. She had felt many things concerning this woman but never awkward. "And don't worry, he'll be back in his bed by the end of the night."

Regina nodded again. Emma turned to leave.

"Miss Swan."

Emma stopped and turned back to Regina. She was still kneeling on the floor. Even in that position, her presence was commanding.

"Tell him…" Regina hesitated. Her face twisted in emotion in a way that Emma had never seen before. There was a hint of uncertainty. Regina Mills was never uncertain or at least she never let it show. It must have been more of that grey area. And then, just as quickly as Emma had seen it, it was gone.

"Let me know when you find him." It was a quiet order but, just this once, Emma let it slide.

"Yeah… sure"

Emma tore her eyes away from Regina's and ran up the stairs. It was time to get their son back.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Henry sat on a cot in the only holding cell in the sheriff-of-god-knows-which-small town's office. His legs dangled off the edge of the high bed as one of his comic books sat on his lap. This was his third attempt at reading it and it was proving futile. He was nervous. More than that, he wanted to leave his literal prison cell.

The office smelt of dampness and stale coffee and it looked as though nothing, including the sheriff, had been changed in twenty-odd years. At least Regina had made improvements in the twenty-eight years that time had stood still for everyone in Storybrooke.

The sheriff was the epitome of the cop stereotype: middle-aged, fat and balding with a penchant for sweet pastries. Henry could not imagine him running after thieves or scaring off intruders. He was nothing like Emma. He had none of her bad ass killer instinct. Henry really should not have been surprised that she found him. She was the Saviour after all. And now the Saviour was no doubt on her way to put him in his place.

The sheriff gave another phlegm-induced cough and Henry frowned in disgust. He forced himself to refocus on his book as the sun set through the small office windows. That same sun had set and his stomach was growling by the time Emma showed up. She strode into the office with confidence and determination as she introduced herself to the sheriff. When Emma asked about her son, the sheriff nodded in the direction of the cell and her eyes widened.

"You put him in a cell?! He's an eleven year old kid!" she rushed over to Henry. "Are you okay?"

Henry nodded.

"Look lady, he's a runaway. Figured we'd rather be safe than sorry." The sheriff argued from behind Emma.

Emma turned back to the sheriff, "Get him out!"

The sheriff waddled over with a heavy set of keys and unlocked the door. In a flash, Emma was inside and grabbing Henry. She pulled the boy to her and enveloped him in a tight hug rendering him unable to breathe although the racing heartbeat beneath the jacket was oddly comforting. Even though he had been dreading Emma's arrival, he was grateful to be surrounded by her musky scent.

"Um, Emma… I can't breathe," he mumbled against her jacket.

"Sorry," she responded as she pulled back. She then dropped to her knees and began scanning his face touching him all over as if to check that he was all there and alright.

"I'm fine," Henry answered without needing to hear the question again.

Emma placed her hands on his shoulders and gave him a little shake, "Don't you ever do that again, kid."

The fierceness in her green eyes shamed him and his eyes dropped to the floor. How could he even begin to explain this to her? There was no way either one of his mothers would understand. Emma hugged him again breathing a sigh of relief against his hair.

"As sweet as this little reunion is-" the sheriff began.

"We got it," she murmured against Henry's hair.

Emma pulled herself up from the floor and, with a firm grasp on Henry's hand; she walked out of the office without another word. The drive home was mostly silent. Upon hearing one of Henry's stomach growls, they stopped over at a diner in an even smaller town for take-aways. As they ate in the parked car, the silence threatened to suffocate Henry. Emma had never been this angry with him. She knew how to yell and fight when she wasn't happy about something. But not this silence. That was Regina's modus operandi- a chilling, eerie silence as she decided which course of action to take. It frightened him.

"Emma?"

"You really scared me today, Henry," Emma said looking out the windscreen.

Henry bowed his head, "I know."

"The whole town was looking for you. And Mary Margaret, she blamed herself for this because she was supposed to get you. And your mom…"

Henry looked up at that, "What about her?"

"David accused her of kidnapping you. She's really upset," Emma turned in her seat so that she could fully face her son. "Why, Henry? Why'd you run? And what's in New York?"

"Nothing, I just…" he stopped and looked down at his half-eaten burger.

"Talk to me, kid." Emma pleaded.

Henry was still. His facial expression mimicked Regina's when Emma had left to go after their son. It was the same uncertainty- the same sadness. For a moment, Emma thought she had reached him but then he turned his head and looked out his window. Emma shook her head to herself. She shoved her food back into the brown paper bag and tossed it onto the backseat. She stuck the key in the ignition and started the car. She looked over at Henry again but his eyes were fixed out of the window. She pulled out of the parking lot and they drove in silence the rest of the way home.

When Emma and Henry finally made it to their apartment, they were met by a teary Snow White and David. Once they were satisfied that Henry was physically alright, they pulled him into a never-ending embrace just as bone-crushing as Emma's.

Before Emma could lose herself in the Hallmark sweetness of the moment, her cell phone vibrated in her jacket pocket. She pulled it out and sighed when Regina's name flashed on the screen. This was the third call. Guilt washed over Emma. She had meant to call Regina back but between her relief at finding Henry and her frustration towards him; she could not find the will to speak to her. But now she had to. The poor woman was probably going insane.

She quietly slipped out of the room and crept upstairs to her bedroom making sure she closed the door behind her. She plonked herself on the edge of the bed with her phone in hand staring at it for a long moment before dialling with a hint of trepidation. Regina answered on the first ring.

"_Oh, so you aren't dead in some ditch. What an anti-climax!" _Regina spat.

"Look, Regina, I'm sorry. I've been a little caught up finding our son." Emma scratched her forehead lightly. It was a weak excuse and she knew it.

"_You wouldn't have found him without me in the first place. You'd all still be running around like headless chickens and accusing me of crimes I didn't commit. It seems a complete disregard for other people's feelings is a Charming family trait."_

"Please do not tell me you're trying to claim some kind of moral high ground here. Without me, you wouldn't have been able to go get him thanks to your little curse." Emma countered bitterly.

The line went silent. Emma dropped back into the bed and stared at the ceiling. It still amazed her how easily she could go from zero to hatred with Regina. Every time she tried to feel sorry for her, the former mayor would open her mouth and say something that would instantly piss her off. It was like a deranged special talent. Emma squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temple.

"Anyway, he's fine," Emma reassured

Regina breathed an audible sigh of relief. She must have known that Henry was safe but there was nothing like seeing him or actually hearing the words. She needed to hear the words.

"_Did he tell you why he ran?"_ Regina asked tempering her anger.

"He wouldn't talk about it." Emma replied, the image of his back to her in the car burned in her memory.

"_I think he should resume his sessions with the Cricket."_

Emma frowned, "The cricket? Oh, Archie."

"_Yes, Archie."_ Regina was losing her patience. _"Clearly there's something bigger going on with him."_

"I don't think he'd like it."

"_Miss Swan, being a parent requires doing what is best for your child whether they like it or not. It is not a popularity contest."_

"I know that." Emma replied through gritted teeth. "I'm trying to do what's best for him."

"_Henry's world has been turned upside down. And as much as you are all smothering him with love and goodness knows what else at the Charming residence, he needs to put his life back together again. He needs structure."_

Emma thought about that for a moment. It sounded a lot like her own life. She was battling to make sense of her new fairytale family. How much more difficult must it be for a kid?

"_Miss Swan?"_ Regina's voice yanked Emma out of her thoughts.

"Let me think about it okay?" Emma responded curtly.

"_Fine."_

Regina ended the call.

* * *

Emma did not know how long she had been staring at the ceiling for. She lost herself in invisible cracks that ran across the ceiling trying to connect the events of the past day. No, the past year. The first time Henry had run away, it had changed her life. This time had changed her. She had never felt more terrified than when it concerned Henry's safety. The instinct to protect him was like the instinct to breathe. His survival was hers.

She had never loved more completely than at the thought and sight and smell of her son. She remembered instantly loving him as an infant even as she had to give him away. She remembered how shocked she was to become so attached to this little being that she never really had the chance to know. But that was only the tip of the depth and breadth of a mother's love. Of how much she loved him now. She, Emma Swan who was never anything to anyone, was a mother. With all the fear and paranoia and pain that came with it.

As if on cue, Emma turned her head to the side at the sound of her own mother's muted voice outside her door. There was that, too. She was a daughter, too. As she listened to Mary Margaret and David's muffled voices, her stomach fell. She knew they wanted to be there for her. They wanted to be her parents. They had waited so long to have their family reunited. But Emma had given up on the dream of a happy family years ago. And even if she hadn't, it was not meant to be like this. This was… a mess.

A soft knock on her door dashed any hopes that Emma had that her parents would leave well enough alone- at least for the night. With a quiet sigh, she pulled herself back up into a sitting position on the bed and invited them in. Mary Margaret's head popped in first as if to make sure the coast was clear. She carefully stepped into the room followed by David who opted to stay closer to the door.

Emma understood that. At least Mary Margaret had been her friend before becoming Snow White her mother. Emma had simply been acquaintances with David's former Storybrooke self and now he was the over-protective father. They barely knew each other.

Snow sat on the very edge of the bed and placed a gentle hand on her daughter's knee. Right now, she was channelling all of the calm and maternal grace of Mary Margaret. Or maybe the personae of Mary Margaret and Snow White were not mutually exclusive.

"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret asked carefully as though approaching a skittish kitten. Emma nodded with a tight smile she hoped was at least half convincing.

"Did Henry say anything to you? About why he took off?" David asked.

Emma shook her head slightly. Then she braced herself, "Regina thinks he should go see Archie again."

"Emma, no. Regina used Jiminy to make Henry feel crazy over something he was completely right about just to keep her curse." Mary Margaret argued.

"And why are you even talking to Regina?" David asked taking a step forward.

Emma looked up at him, "She's still his mother. She was worried about him. Is worried. And yes, she used the whole therapy thing for her own agenda but this is different."

"How?" Mary Margaret asked unconvinced.

"Because he didn't run away from Regina. He ran away from us. All he's wanted is for everyone to remember who they are so that we could all be one big happy family. Well, here we are. So why did he run away? He needs to know what he did was not okay."

"He knows that," Mary Margaret said leaning forward to her daughter.

Emma shook her head, a lump forming in her throat. "Do you get that something could have happened to him. Some creepy bastard could've taken him."

"No…" Mary Margaret began, shaking her head.

"Yes! None of you have stepped out of Storybrooke. None of you know what this world is really like. Bad people don't announce themselves like they do in fairytales. Over here, evil hides behind the mask of the ordinary. Evil is sick and cruel and he is my… son."

Emma choked on her last word. She tried to fight the tears that brimmed her eyelids. All of her fears over the past ten hours came rushing to the surface threatening to smother her under their weight. Mary Margaret tightened the grip on her daughter's knee. She looked up at her husband tearful at their daughter's despair. David took measured steps towards them before placing a tender hand on Emma's head. Emma looked up at that and wiped an errant tear.

"I'm sorry." Emma croaked. "I really appreciate your concern but I'm his mother and I need to do this for him."

Mary Margaret nodded. She then looked up at David and from that look alone he knew to excuse himself. As soon as he was gone, Mary Margaret placed a soothing hand on Emma's back rubbing up and down her spine. Emma wanted to fall into her embrace. She was desperate to have her mother _be_ her mother in this moment when she felt as though she would crumble. But some undefinable thing was holding her back and it hurt.

"Emma…" Her mother ventured softly.

Emma buried her face in her hands, "I'm sorry. I just really need to be alone right now."

Emma never saw the pained look in Mary Margaret's gentle brown eyes. She only felt a soft kiss at the top of her head and the quiet shuffle of her mother's shoes as she walked out the room and closed the door behind her.

Finally alone, Emma allowed herself to cry.

* * *

On the other side of town, the former Evil Queen paced through the empty rooms and hallways of her mayoral residence with her fourth glass of whiskey in hand. She stopped outside her son's door.

Every night she had made the same promise to herself. Most nights, like tonight, she broke it. She opened the door and stepped inside instantly overwhelmed by its emptiness despite how many of his things were still there. She crawled onto the bed and laid there sinking her face into the pillow so that she could smell whatever was left of Henry's scent. And then, as seemed to be another new habit, she cried.

**A/N 1: My apologies for my unexpected absence. Hopefully that won't happen again. To make up for it I will publish another chapter in a few days.**

**A/N 2: I'm about to majorly mess with OUAT canon by resurrecting Katherine. I think that you'll agree that Regina is in need of a friend and I don't really see her opening up to anyone else in town. So you have a few days to adjust to it. Please continue to bear with me and let me know what you think.**

**:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Shout out to all the new followers! Thanks for joining in on this little adventure with me. As promised, I present to you an earlier update. And as a reminder, for the purposes of this story Kathryn has not magically disappeared or whatever the OUAT writers did to her. Please enjoy:)**

Chapter Four

Emma parked her yellow Beetle outside the building which housed Archie's office. She switched off the engine and looked over at Henry. Once again, his back was to her as he stared out the window. He had been in that position from the moment they had stepped into the car. She officially hated it.

Of course Henry did not want to go to therapy. Who _wants _to go to therapy? He had clenched his little fists and stamped his feet and pouted but to no avail. He searched out his grandparents for reinforcement but, fortunately for Emma, they chose not to interfere. So he resorted to sitting in the car, staring out the window, and probably mentally calling her every bad name in the book. She cared even as she pretended she didn't. Dispensing tough love was just as hard on mother as it was on child.

"So, I'm just gonna wait out here for you, okay?" Emma said to his back. He didn't turn around.

"You're just gonna wait here?" Henry asked in disbelief.

"I can't take the chance that you're going to run off again, kid."

Henry mumbled something beneath his breath that Emma was grateful she could not hear. Her mind thought back to the conflicted look on Regina's face the last time she had seen her. The former mayor had been uncertain of what message to relay to her son. Or was it that she wasn't sure that her son would care? A shiver shimmied up Emma's spine.

Is this what it felt like when your kid hated you?

She didn't like it.

She cautiously reached out her hand and touched Henry's shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, kid." Emma tried to reassure him.

Without a word, he opened the car door and climbed out. Emma did the same until Henry turned back.

"I don't need you to come in with me," he said flatly.

Emma's body recoiled slightly at the force of the emotional punch. But she quickly straightened and nodded. She watched him walk up to the door of the main entrance and with every step that he took away from her, her heart broke a little more. She had difficulty swallowing past the lump in her throat.

She fought the sadness.

This over-emotional person was not who she was. She was tough. She had impenetrable defences. But that was before she had a family. It seemed love was her kryptonite and she was powerless against it. She could only hope that she was doing the right thing.

* * *

Regina stepped out of the brisk afternoon air and into the musky warmth of the grocery store. These silly errands annoyed her. One should not have to deal with such trivialities as food and mowing the lawn and paying bills when one's world is crashing down around one. Where once she had found solace in the normalcy of her Storybrooke life, now it just reminded her of what she had lost.

And, of course, there were the looks.

The glares that suggested how dare she buy their groceries and walk on their streets after her heinous crimes. She wanted to turn around and yell that they would have none of it without her. She wanted to break down and cry saying she wished she never created it. Instead, she held her head high, picked up a basket and made her way through the aisles ignoring them all.

There was no coherency in what she picked from the shelves. She did not care about nutritional value or brand or taste. Grab and go was her motto. She reached up for a box of chocolate chocolate chip cookies when a hand swiftly swooped in and took them before she could reach it.

"Excuse me…" Regina began but she stopped at the sight of the insolent thief. It was Kathryn who looked just as surprised to see her.

"Regina." Kathryn smiled.

Regina turned and began to walk away. She was rattled. She had not seen Kathryn… Abigail… whoever since the curse broke. The woman was the closest thing to a friend that the mayor of Storybrooke had but that was before everyone remembered she was the Evil Queen.

That was before everything had changed for both of them.

"Regina, wait!" Kathryn jogged up to Regina who stopped involuntarily. "I've been meaning to come see you."

"If you have complaints about how I ruined your chance with Charming you'll have to get in the back of the line, dear." Regina went straight to defence mode.

"No," Kathryn frowned. "I wanted to come and see how you are. After everything."

"Why?"

"I don't know. We were kind of friends."

"I cursed you," Regina pointed out not understanding where the conversation was headed.

"You cursed everyone but you tried to give me my happy ending. And sure, it was only to screw with Snow White but… I feel kind of special." Kathryn smiled. "I like being Kathryn even if all I eat are microwaved meal-for-ones."

Regina could not help but smile at that. For just a brief moment, she did not feel so utterly alone. Kathryn peered into Regina's basket.

"I see you seem to be suffering a similar dilemma," Kathryn observed. "How about we make a date? Once a week, you come over to my place, I go over to yours and we have a proper meal."

Regina raised a sceptical eyebrow. They may have been somewhere near friendship before but there had always been clearly demarcated barriers between them. Furthermore, Regina was not the trusting type. Kathryn's marriage to Charming had blown up in her face sending her down a road of depression and loneliness. It was impossible for her not to blame the former mayor- at least a little.

"Come on Regina. We can stuff our faces, get drunk and throw darts at a Snow White poster." Kathryn gave a mischievous grin. "You know misery loves company."

Despite her suspicions, Regina relented. She was tired of her life of isolation. And the knowledge that at least one person in this ridiculous town did not openly hate her meant more than she expected. Besides, if Kathryn did try anything with her, Regina was confident that she could take her down in a heartbeat.

They agreed to meet on Friday night and then Kathryn was gone. When Regina looked down into her basket, she saw the box of chocolate chocolate chip cookies.

* * *

As her black Mercedes zipped through the streets of her neighbourhood, Regina tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as smooth classical music seemed to float from the radio filling the car. She felt something vaguely resembling happiness. Perhaps 'happiness' was taking it a bit too far. She felt… lighter. Well, at least she hoped she felt light enough to avoid shaking in her son's bed that night.

As she pulled into her street, her tapping stopped at the sight of the bright yellow bug parked on the kerb side. She turned into her driveway to see Emma sitting on her steps in her usual uniform- blue jeans, knee high boots and that damned red leather jacket.

She stopped the car. Emma did not look up. Her eyes were fixed on her clasped hands in her lap. She looked troubled. Almost as bad as when she delivered the news of Henry's disappearance. It made Regina apprehensive.

Regina grabbed her grocery bag from the passengers' seat and got out of the car. She closed the door and that seemed to reintroduce Emma to reality as she finally looked up at the brunette. The older woman stopped before the sheriff.

"Is Henry alright?" Regina asked hesitantly.

"I don't know," Emma shook her head.

"What do you mean 'you don't know'? Did you lose him again?" Regina asked fearing the worst.

"No! I'm sorry, he's fine. He's with my… he's at home."

Regina exhaled. There was only so much a mother could take when it came to their child. However, Emma looked no less disturbed.

"What is it, Miss Swan?" Regina was growing impatient with all the suspense.

"I took him to see Archie today."

Regina did a double take. Emma had actually taken her advice- a very unexpected move. Regina had been conflicted whether to even suggest it. The Cricket may have annoyed her to high heaven but he had always tried to help Henry.

"He wants more sessions," Emma continued.

"Naturally…"

"With all of us," Emma concluded.

Regina stopped at that.

"All of us being…" Regina fished.

"Henry, me… and you."

Regina let out a sadistic chuckle as she mentally retracted every remotely decent thought she had ever had about the stupid Cricket. Family therapy? She scoffed at the thought.

"I'm glad you find it funny," Emma was unimpressed with Regina's response.

"Not so much funny as outrageous. There is no way I'm going to therapy with you."

"And do you think I _want_ to do this with you?!" Emma stood finally fully springing to life. "I would rather have ten back to back root canals without anaesthesia but that wouldn't help Henry. That's why you suggested this in the first place, right? To help Henry? Well you got your wish!"

Regina watched Emma. She watched the worry lines that creased her face. The frustration that flashed in her eyes. The tightness around her mouth. The slight slump of her shoulders. She watched the Saviour who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. A young woman who could not possibly be ready for that responsibility but who shouldered it anyway. There was almost a hint of admiration for her.

"This is our fault isn't it?" Regina surmised. There was a reason Archie wanted to see both of them and the realisation was sobering at best.

"I'm starting to get that distinct impression," Emma nodded.

Regina thought of her son- the boy who had changed her life and was now the only thing that was still keeping her together, still keeping her cool-headed. She figured she needed to do the same for him- help him keep it together even as everything him around was constantly altered and distorted in this new reality. Her access to him was non-existent. She had to take what she could get.

"One session," Regina offered.

"Regina…"

"That's all I can promise. One session for Henry's sake."

Regina stepped around Emma and made her way up the stairs. As she reached her door she heard…

"I'm sorry I didn't call you when I found him."

Regina stopped. She could feel the burning of tears fighting to surface. She blinked them away and turned to Emma who now stood at the top of the stairs.

Regina cleared her throat. "I appreciate that. You'll inform me when the next session will be?"

Emma nodded. "You just tell me when you're free."

"Miss Swan, these days I'm always free."

Emma opened her mouth as if to speak but then closed it. She nodded again- a sprinkling of understanding and sympathy in her eyes. Regina loathed that look. She could not stand to be pitied by Emma Swan. Fortunately, the sheriff had the foresight to say nothing more and walk back to her car.

Regina unlocked her front door and stepped inside leaning back against the door as she closed it. The thought of sitting with Henry and Emma in Archie's office unnerved her. After this little stunt, she did not trust the Cricket. But she hoped that he would not dare force her to divulge the secrets of her past that very few knew. She did not want to traumatise her son with her ugly history. More than that, she did not want Emma to look at her with that same pity.

She could not fully grasp why but she wanted Emma to only see her as the all-powerful perfectly put together mayor who had no parents, who did not believe in true love and whose existence was not a constant source of torment to Regina herself. She could not allow Emma to realise how deep the cracks beneath her visage ran because, as recent events proved, the Saviour had the power to completely destroy her.

In more ways than one.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It had been eleven minutes. Eleven minutes too many. Eleven minutes of the Evil Queen and Jiminy Cricket sitting opposite each other in strained uneasy silence. He had taken to clicking his pen nervously and staring at the blank notepad in his lap. She was the picture of poised perfection with her stockinged legs crossed and her hands clasped over her knee as she sat in the middle of couch. Her shell was calm but inside she was like a pit of boiling lava and the only indication of her rage was the slight tapping of her thumb against the hem of her black knee-length pencil skirt.

Click. Tap. Click. Tap. And the soft humming of the air conditioner.

Twelve minutes.

Regina could not be surprised that Emma was late. However, she retained the right to be outraged by the princess' utter lack of respect for punctuality. She was now condemned to stealing odd glances with a damned cricket. That would not do.

She stood up.

"Regina, wait," Archie scrambled to his feet.

"If Miss Swan cannot be bothered to be here on time, I don't see why I have to sit here and endure this torture."

Regina swiftly made her way to the door but before she could reach it, it flew open and Emma, with Henry in tow, stumbled into the room.

"Sorry we're late," Emma huffed.

"Was traffic murder on Main Street?" Regina asked without masking her sarcasm for Henry's sake.

"No," Emma caught the annoyance in Regina's tone and countered with her own.

Emma glanced over at Henry who glared back at her. It was brief but substantial. It seemed all was not well between reunited mother and son. Perhaps Archie's little scheme would prove more interesting than Regina initially imagined.

Emma walked ahead and, with a nod of her head to Archie, she sat on the right side of the couch. Regina reached a hand out to touch Henry's shoulder but she quickly thought better of it. She had not seen her son since Emma and Snow White's grand return. His presence before her now was almost unreal.

"Hello, Henry," Regina genuinely smiled.

"Hi," Henry awkwardly shuffled his feet.

"Shall we get started?" Archie's voice interrupted. And just like that, the moment was over before it had begun. Henry made his way to Archie who guided him to a chair that sat between the couch and the "psychologist's" chair.

Steeling herself against the disappointment, Regina returned to the couch. This time she sat on the far left leaving a considerable bit of space between herself and the sheriff. Of course, Henry's chair was on Emma's side. Even circumstance seemed to damn Regina in her attempts to get closer to her son.

"Alright, we all know why we're here," Archie began.

"I, for one, have no idea why I'm here. Henry didn't run away from me," Regina stated.

"This time," Emma corrected.

"The only reason he ran away the first time was to find you."

"Because he couldn't stand living with you!"

"Ladies," Archie interrupted again. "This is counter-productive. We're here because, for better or worse, you are a family. Like a divorced family."

"But we're not a divorced family," Emma countered. Regina silently agreed. Any allusion to some kind of marriage to Emma Swan was…

"You're both his mothers," Archie explained. "And you have a sort of shared custody of Henry."

"Well, I would have to look back at that so-called custody agreement because I haven't seen my son in weeks," Regina fumed.

"Alright, let's just take a moment to look at the core issue which is Henry," Archie turned to the boy who slumped in his seat. "Henry, would you like to tell your mothers what we discussed in your last session?"

Henry did not move. He did not look at anyone in the room. His eyes were fixed on a spot on the rug and would not shift from their point of concentration. Emma turned her body so that she faced him.

"Please just talk to us, kid," Emma implored.

Regina watched her son. She knew this side of him. The uncooperative stubborn side. She had battled it for what, now, seemed like an eternity. She wondered if it was genetic or something he had learned from her. Perhaps this was a case of nature and nurture clashing in the most destructive way.

"Do you mind if I tell them?" Archie ventured.

Henry, with his head bowed, shrugged and mumbled "whatever".

Archie turned back to the boy's mothers. He took a dramatic pause that only heightened Regina's irritation. "The thing is that Henry feels displaced," Archie explained.

"What the hell does that mean?" Emma asked.

"He's not sure where he belongs. He's caught between two worlds, two lives and two mothers." Archie gestured to the women before him. "And he feels as though…"

"It's not fair," Henry finally spoke up. His eyes were still glued to the rug.

"What?!" Emma was nearing her breaking point. Regina could hear the strain in her voice. She was so desperate to find what was bothering the boy. Alternatively, Regina was no longer sure she wanted to know. Home truths were not exactly her forte.

"Nothing's changed," Henry finally looked up. "I was supposed to get my family. I was supposed to be happy now but you've both ruined it."

Emma looked back at Regina. Both women stared at each other in stunned silence. Regina was right. This really was their fault. Henry looked up at Regina.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to love you when you're the Evil Queen," Henry began.

"Henry, I'm not the Evil Queen anymore," Regina reasoned.

"But you were!" He stood up. "You ruined everyone's life. And I know I'm supposed to hate you like everyone else and be happy that I moved out but I can't. Even though that was exactly what I wanted."

"Of course, Henry, she's your mother. No one expects you to just stop loving her," Emma intercepted.

Henry turned on Emma. "What would you know about it? You have your parents back but you don't even want them. I don't even know if you want me."

"Henry! You know that's not true," Emma replied in shock. She knelt before her son and grabbed him by the arms as if to make him feel the conviction of her words. "Do you think I'd still be here putting up with all of this crap if I didn't want you? I'm not perfect. This has been tough for me. Everything I thought I knew about my life, about myself, has changed. I don't naturally know how to be a mother or a daughter. I didn't exactly have shining examples growing up but I'm trying. I love you and I will stick this thing out and that will never change."

Henry looked at his biological mother for a long moment before pulling back from her and sitting down. A pregnant silence filled the air. The boy's breathing was erratic as though his tirade had taken all of his air as well as his strength. He slumped back against the chair in quiet resignation. Emma hoisted herself up and slid back onto the couch.

Regina's head was reeling. She did not know whether to be happy that her son still cared for her or upset that loving her was so torturous for him. She did not know how to fix this. The fact was that she _was _the Evil Queen. It was not debatable. It was not a figment of her son's imagination. The truth was out and she could not escape it. None of them could escape its inevitability.

Henry had been so desperate for this truth but now that it was right in from of him, it was not the pretty picture he had expected. He forgot that although they were fairytale characters, this was real life. There was no magical happily ever after. There were just days and days and days of real life- some wonderful, some ordinary, some heart breaking. All the boy was getting was the heartbreak. Regina knew the feeling too well.

"Regina," The former mayor looked up at Archie. They were all staring at her.

"Yes?" she asked simply.

"You've been surprisingly quiet," Archie noted. It was not meant to be a jibe but it still bothered Regina.

She looked over at her son. It was the first time she had really looked into his eyes since he pleaded with her to save Emma and Snow White. He had appealed to the good in her. Now there was an emptiness in his eyes that she blamed herself for. She cleared her throat.

"People make mistakes, Henry. The difference with me is that everyone knows mine because mine have affected so many people. But I stopped being the Evil Queen the moment that they put you in my arms. She was destructive because she had nothing to live for. I have you. Everything I have done in this town has been because I love you. And yes, it may not have always been the right way but it's not like my mother," Regina paused. She did not want this to be about Cora. She could not let her mother taint another beautiful thing in her life. "Anyway, I don't care what anyone else in this town thinks. They can hate me, lock me up, burn me at the stake- I will wait for you to come back home. Because no one, Henry, should ever stop you from following your heart and one day you'll realise that."

Henry looked at her with tears brimming his eyelids. Had he heard her? Had he believed her? No answers. Instead, he looked down at his spot on the rug. From the corner of her eye, Regina could have sworn that Emma's hand moved just a little toward her on the couch before stopping and retracting.

A click of the pen.

"This is good. This kind of communication can get us far," Archie turned to the boy. "Henry, could you just give us a moment?"

Henry looked up and nodded. He took one last look at his mothers before walking out and closing the door behind him. Both Regina and Emma seemed to sigh in sync at the click of the door. They looked at Archie expectantly.

"I'm going to suggest something and I need you both to disregard your initial reactions," Archie said cryptically.

"Get to the point, Cricket," Regina's patience was wearing thin with the insect. She did not like her recent display of vulnerability in front of him and Emma. Especially Emma.

"I would like to do a session with just the two of you," Archie revealed.

"You've gotta be shitting me!" Emma groaned. She had echoed Regina's thoughts although the brunette would have phrased it with more tact.

"You two have a very… unique relationship. One that I feel may be better discussed without Henry here."

"We don't have a relationship," Regina replied detachedly.

"Oh but you do. You are Henry's parents and that role means the two of you have to guide Henry as he tries to make sense of the changes in his life. You can't do that if you're always yelling at each other. You have to learn to speak with one parental voice," Archie explained.

"This is ludicrous," Regina stood up with her hand bag in hand.

"Regina, come on," Emma tried.

"No, Miss Swan. I agreed to one session. I'm not going to sit here and spend an hour sharing my feelings with you."

Emma stood up. "Why does everything have to be on your terms?"

"Because I am his mother. I have legal custody. I could take him away from you and there wouldn't be a judge in this country who would rule otherwise. Being the Evil Queen isn't a crime here."

"You'd just rip him away from his family?" Emma's tone was accusatory.

"_I'm _his family!" Regina countered.

Emma looked back at Archie.

"There's no need for things to go that far," Archie tried to reason.

"I agree. Good day to you all," With that Regina walked out of the office. She was angry and spooked by the whole encounter. She would do anything for her son, but this? Therapy with Emma was extreme. Nothing good could possibly come of it especially if Henry was not there to force them to try and behave themselves.

As she reached her car and opened the door, she spotted Henry leaning against Emma's car a few feet away. He was staring straight at her but did not seem inclined to walk over to her. She wanted to say something but what did one say in such a moment? Yes Henry, I love you and I want to help you but there's only so far I'm willing to go? Was her love actually conditional?

"Did you mean what you said in there?" he asked from a distance.

It was as if he had read her mind.

"Every word," she responded instantly. She did not know what exactly he was referring to but she had never been more honest with the boy. He could take away any part he chose.

He nodded before looking away from her again. Regina climbed into her car and drove away.

**A/N: I know quite a few of you have some issues with Henry but I hope that this chapter gives a little insight to the character as I see him. He's just a kid and his whole life has changed. His family has changed. What kind of eleven year old knows how to act in such a situation? So hopefully you'll be patient with our boy and learn to love him again (or for the first time).**

**Oh, and shout out to my 50th follower NerdsNeedLoveToo! I think that's appropriate. I'm kind of a nerd and I love the love shown for this story. I could always use more:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N 1: Thank you for all the responses to the last chapter! It warmed my little writer heart and I'm so happy, you're loving where the story is going and I hope you'll continue to enjoy with me. **

**A/N 2: For the purposes of this story, Kathryn and the cutie gym coach haven't reunited... yet... maybe.**

Chapter six

Regina sat upright on the soft blue couch in Kathryn's living room. She looked around the house that was so different from hers. It was smaller and, despite Charming's departure, still felt homely and warm. They had indulged in homemade lasagne which had internally warmed Regina in places that had long grown cold. She knew it was temporary but she savoured the feeling- savoured the warmth.

Kathryn strolled into the room with two glasses of red wine in hand.

"I still can't believe you all went to therapy," Kathryn mused as she handed Regina a glass and sat beside the brunette.

Regina had been so unsettled by the 'family therapy' and the agonising decision whether to have a session with Emma that the topic found its way into their conversation half way through their meal. Kathryn had almost choked on her food as Regina had blurted out the confession and subsequently the blonde insisted on knowing every detail of what had transpired.

Regina managed to control herself enough to be vague on what had happened. A lot of regrettable things had gone down between them- all of which was Regina's fault as seemed to be the trend. Despite their pretence of a relationship, Regina had never truly shared herself with Kathryn. She had mastered the ability of keeping Kathryn close enough to use her but far enough to maintain her guard. She was not sure that could change just because the curse was broken.

And there was the fact that Regina was not well practised in the art of friendship. She and Maleficent were not exactly the paint each other's toenails type. But now that she did not have a job and barely had a son, she was left alone with her thoughts and that threatened to drive her to the brink of insanity. The unexpected decision to confide in the blonde was more for the salvation of her mind than the need to divulge her personal business.

Even in her vulnerable state, Regina could not completely change how she had been built. Furthermore, she was not sure she could truly trust Kathryn's "let's be friends" speech. Nobody was that forgiving especially after the hell that Regina had put her through. Cora had taught her to expect the worst in possible and that everything had a price tag attached to it. It was a lesson that she was very slow to forget.

"So are you going to do this thing with Emma?" Kathryn asked as she sank back into the couch.

"Absolutely not! That Cricket is as crooked as his parents were," Regina took a sip of her wine. Now was not the time for her to be objective regarding Archie's intentions.

"Come on, Regina, you have to do it," Regina looked at Kathryn with raised eyebrows and the blonde continued. "You've worked so hard to prove to everyone in this town that you've changed."

"Not that they believe me," Regina scoffed.

"Luckily, the only opinion that matters is Henry's. If Emma's willing to do this and you're the one holding out, guess who's the bad guy? You may as well just give up on ever getting him back."

"I know. It's just…" Regina sighed as she ran her fingers through her short hair. "It's Emma Swan. I have to sit there with her for an hour which is more than enough time for her to say something to completely infuriate me."

"I don't think she needs more than two minutes to do that," Kathryn interjected.

"Exactly! We'll just end up arguing and then she'll probably run home and cry to mommy and daddy Charming about it."

"I think you like it."

"What?"

"Fighting with Emma," Kathryn explained. "Before the curse broke, she was the only one who stood up to you and, boy, did she get under your skin. And now, she's only one who treats you exactly the same way as before. She doesn't know the Evil Queen. She still looks at you as Regina- her personal pain in the ass. She doesn't pull any punches and you like it."

Regina frowned at the other woman as she spoke. She looked at her as though she had three heads. The suggestion that she actually enjoyed going back and forth with Emma was beyond preposterous. The showdowns with Emma were tedious and draining. The young woman was stubborn, self-righteous and the sole reason that Regina's perfectly crafted plan was blown to bits. Her life in Storybrooke had been seamless before Emma's sudden arrival. Kathryn's insinuation that she felt otherwise was ridiculous- to say the least.

Regina took a gulp of her wine. "I'm not sure what you're playing at here, Kathryn."

Kathryn's eyes widened. "I'm not playing at anything. I was just… I'm sorry. It was a stray observation."

Kathryn looked away. Suddenly, the air between them was thick with their differences in power and the reality of why they had not been true friends unbeknownst to the pre-curse Kathryn. Regina felt something almost resembling remorse. Had Kathryn truly believed they would be equals now? That she could suddenly become best friends with the infamous Evil Queen? Regina had the woman kidnapped. Had she missed the memo that the former mayor was cold and incapable of genuine feelings and connections? Because if that was the case, she was the only one.

"I think it would be best if I left," Regina placed her glass on the coffee table.

"No," Kathryn placed a hand on Regina's forearm. "Please don't leave. Not like this."

"I don't know what you expect of me. I don't know how to do this. Partly because no one has ever shown any genuine interest in my life and partly because… I still don't understand why you wish to be friends with me. I know what you said in the grocery store but-"

"You're right," Kathryn interrupted. She placed her glass on the coffee table too. "Back home, I was in love with someone- Frederick. He was cursed and I was sent off to marry Charming but he helped me get Frederick back."

Regina looked at her in shock. She did not know about this other man. And then realisation settled in. This was another couple she had separated. Her body went cold.

"If you lured me here for some kind of retribution, I would strongly advise against whatever you have planned," Regina warned her as she shifted a little away from Kathryn.

"Wow, you're paranoid. Which I get, obviously," Kathryn mused. "At first I was furious with you. Here I was trying to make a marriage work with a man who never loved me when there was someone out there who did. But then, one day, I understood. I won't pretend I know what you've been through but I remember the rumours. I understand how it feels to have everything taken away from you. And you're so angry that you just lash out at the world. No one sees your pain. They don't see how broken you are. They don't see how hard you have to fight every day to pull yourself together and get out of bed."

Regina could feel the lump forming in her throat. It was as if Kathryn had some special ability that allowed her to see through the blackness of her heart. With every word, it all came flooding back to her: Daniel dying in her arms, her mother's torture, her marriage to the king, the emptiness, the heartache. All of the memories that she had used spells and plots of revenge and alcohol to dull over the years.

It hurt.

"Somehow, Charming saw through all of that," Kathryn continued. "He helped me. But honestly, if I hadn't gotten Frederick back and I had your magic, I think I may have cursed them all too."

Regina looked up and was greeted by sincerity pooled in blue eyes. Kathryn was not bragging about her own darkness nor was she placating Regina. It was a simple acknowledgement of the thin line between good and evil. She had opened herself up in a way that Regina had forgotten even existed and that she certainly was not worthy of. Kathryn did not know how closely her story related to Regina's. She could never fully comprehend the power of her words or the magnitude of her gesture of forgiveness. So she would have to settle for…

"I think your lasagne is better than mine," Regina said as she picked up her glass. Kathryn smiled accepting that as the olive branch. She raised her glass slightly to Regina and the former mayor did the same.

They drank.

* * *

Emma stood at the foot of the bed and watched Henry sleep. It was creepy. She had become one of those creepy hovering mothers who watched their children and made sure they still breathed as they slept. She couldn't help it. Henry spent his days with burdens of adults on his shoulders. He had to be brave, understanding and mature- concepts that Emma herself still had to fully grasp. But now, as he slept, he just looked like a little boy. A boy who liked comics and hated his vegetables and hung out with his friends from school.

She had missed that part. The normal part. All she had known of Henry was his obsession with fairytales and Operation Cobra and having to deal with his mothers fighting. She had lost out on all the little things that had made him who he was. That part of him was Regina's. And although he was practically hers now, she could not disregard the jealousy that had crept in.

Emma shook her thoughts away. She was being silly. She had made peace with the choices of her past and now she had a second chance. That was what was important. That was far more than she ever thought she would get.

She quietly slipped out of the bedroom and gently closed the door behind her. She wandered down the stairs and threw herself on the couch. She switched on the television and flipped through the late night mix of reality shows and D-list movies. The bad television and silence were a comfort to her.

Mary Margaret was dropping off dinner for David at the station and had apparently decided to keep her husband company for a few hours. Not for the first time that evening she thought about them doing it in the cell in her office and she shivered. The thought of her former best friend come estranged mother in any sexual situation was gross. The thought of it happening in a cell she had to look at every day was just… _ugh_!

She was happy for Mary Margaret, of course. Trust her to find an actual Prince Charming. They were so hopelessly in love that it touched her and disgusted her all the same time. However, the one benefit of having a real life romance blossoming before her eyes was that it distracted her from the lack of sexy times in her own. She and Graham were over before they could even begin and every man she met now was some complicated version of a fairytale character she'd heard about as a kid.

Not that she was the dating type. She was more of the hang out, have fun and go our separate ways type. After her relationship with Neal and the drama of her pregnancy, she had decided to hold off on relationships for a while.

It had been twelve years.

A rustle at the door heralded Mary Margaret's return. The woman walked in with a distinct smile on her face and Emma made a mental note to have the entire office fumigated tomorrow morning.

"Emma! You're still up," Mary Margaret sounded surprised.

"It's barely ten," Emma reasoned. "D'you have fun?"

Mary Margaret's smile grew before she checked herself. "I don't know what you mean."

Mary Margaret breezed past the couch and into the kitchen. Yep, they did it. Gross.

"Is Henry asleep?" Mary Margaret asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah."

"He seemed a little off today."

Emma forced herself up from the couch and walked to the kitchen. She pulled out a stool from under the counter and sat on it. She had not told her parents about the family therapy. She was more than aware that any hint that Regina was somehow involved with their family would only cause havoc. It would only further complicate an already tenuous situation.

It did not take much convincing to get Henry to keep the information from his grandparents. Despite his hatred of the sessions with Archie, he also knew it would only mean trouble for his family and was just as desperate to avoid that as his mother.

"He's fine," Emma brushed Mary Margaret's fear aside.

Whenever Emma thought about their therapy session, her mind kept flashing to one image: Regina's face as she spoke to Henry. She had seen the sadness in Regina's eyes before but there had been something different. It was the first time that Emma realised that Regina had a past. Not the Evil Queen's past but _Regina's _past. Before she could stop herself she found herself asking Mary Margaret…

"What do you know about Regina and her mother?"

"You've experienced them both at their worst. What more do you need to know?" Mary Margaret asked as she grabbed two mugs from the drying rack on the side of the sink.

"I don't mean _them_. I mean their relationship," Emma explained.

Mary Margaret looked at her daughter pointedly. It was a very specific question and Emma knew she should never have asked it. But Regina was her step-mother. If anyone had any information, it was Snow White.

"I'm just trying to piece together the picture. Everyone knows everything but me," Emma continued.

"Emma, it's a very big and very complicated picture. And there are a lot of things that no one knows. But it's in the past. You have us and you have Henry. Focus on that."

"She's his mother and I'm just… I'm trying to understand. That's all," Emma did not know why it felt as though she were lying to the other woman. Concern for her son was a perfectly valid reason for her questions. But she knew it wasn't just that. She was curious. About Regina.

Mary Margaret assessed her daughter with her eyes for a moment. There was an intensity in her gaze that Emma instantly knew was all Snow White. Emma made sure not to blink in case it gave anything away.

"Okay, Cora is a very ambitious woman. Her greed, her thirst for power- it's insatiable. She would use and destroy anyone to get what she wanted including her daughter. And did."

"Wow," Emma was taken aback at the thought of Regina being simply a means to an end for her mother. "So maybe all of this isn't her fault. Maybe if her mother-"

"No, Emma. I made that same mistake. I've seen the good in Regina and through all the terrible things she did, I tried to believe in that good. But it's gone," Mary Margaret looked away.

This was new. Emma had never seen her mother talk about Regina this way. It was always as an enemy who needed to be vanquished- not as a person. But it was still too simplistic for Emma. No woman who loved her son as much as Regina did could be all bad. No one who opened themselves the way Regina had in therapy was completely irredeemable.

"I think it's easy for you to say that. In your world, people are either all good or all bad," Emma ventured.

"It isn't easy for me," Mary Margaret looked genuinely hurt. She cast her eyes to the floor. "I loved her. And if I could go back in time I'd…"

"You'd what?"

Mary Margaret looked up with a slight shake of her head. She put on a brave smile. "It doesn't matter. She's out of our lives or at least as much as she can be."

Emma watched Mary Margaret who worked hard to mask her feelings. The story of Snow White and the Evil Queen was based on jealousy over beauty and the obsession with power. But what Emma saw in Snow White's eyes was not about envy or a poisoned apple or even the curse. If they had been talking about anyone else, Emma would have sworn that it was an overwhelming sense of loss. Could that be right?

"How about some hot cocoa?" Mary Margaret asked suddenly.

"I think I'm a little old for that," Emma replied. She still watched Mary Margaret closely for any further hints.

"You didn't think that last year."

"Yeah, but last year you weren't my mo-"

Emma stopped herself. It was one word. Why couldn't she say it out loud? She could see it hurt Mary Margaret every time the word almost came up. She was good at trying to hide it but Emma was better at reading people.

She slid off the stool.

"I'll boil the water," Emma offered. It was the best that she could do and Mary Margaret seemed to accept it.

Emma filled the kettle with water and switched it on. She heard her cellphone buzzing on the coffee table and walked over to it. It was a text message.

From Regina.

_Call the Cricket. I'll do it._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Emma pulled up to Archie's building in the sheriff's car. She had been obsessing about this day since she had received Regina's text and called Archie to make the appointment. Of all the things she could have never expected since the curse broke, going to therapy alone with Regina topped the list. Pre-curse Emma would have laughed her ass off at the thought. She did not know which was more shocking: that Regina had agreed or that Emma, herself, was in some way looking forward to it. Now that she could admit to herself that she was intrigued by Regina, she could not resist the temptation of unwrapping more of the older woman's tightly wound layers.

The other side of it still freaked her out. Regina sharing meant that she had to share too. She did not mention the little experiment to her family. Her parents would have just tried to stop her and her son… she didn't know how Henry would take it especially after his recent emotional outburst. Maybe it would put too much pressure on him which was the last thing she wanted to do. Eventually, she decided that if the session was even remotely successful she would tell him. He deserved to know that both of his mothers were trying for his sake. Because, really, that was all they could do: try.

She spotted Regina getting out of her car and strut toward the building entrance with a little less of the power which had become synonymous with the former mayor. Emma quickly scrambled out of her car and jogged up to the door with a call of, "Regina!"

Regina stopped and turned to Emma with a slightly annoyed look. Emma knew that look. When she thought about it, many of Regina's 'looks' were stored in her memory. They served as secret intelligence in their little games of war. Her 'looks' could forewarn Emma regarding which version of Regina she was about to encounter- angry, vengeful, condescending, liar… sad.

Today's look was: 'make one wrong move and I'll blow this joint sky high!'

"Thank God. I thought I was late," Emma huffed.

"You are. I just came out to get my phone from the car," Regina leaned toward Emma and looked her dead in the eye. "If you keep leaving me alone with that Cricket, I will squash him beneath my heel and then come after you."

"Three guesses which side of the bed you woke up on," Emma joked.

Regina rolled her eyes and took a step toward the car. Emma instinctively placed her hand on Regina's shoulder to stop her. Regina turned back in surprise. The sheriff removed her hand as though the brunette's shoulder was a hot plate. She had been right about today's look. Regina was looking for a reason to bail on this whole thing and Emma's dumb jokes were definitely the wrong tactic. The blonde needed to change up the game or they would never survive the next hour.

"I was thinking-" Emma began.

"This can't be good," Regina murmured.

"I was thinking that maybe we could… I don't know… try to… I mean that this doesn't have to…" Emma struggled with the right way to make her suggestion.

"Wonderful, your limited vocabulary has regressed more than usual. If my son turns into a blubbering idiot, I'll hold you personally accountable."

"Exactly! I don't want us going there and doing this- this back and forth thing. I mean, maybe we can actually do this for real. It could help," Emma rambled.

Regina crossed her arms over her chest defensively, "Why?"

"Neither one of us wants to do this but we're here… because of Henry. So maybe we can just go in there and not be so _us _about it?"

Regina raised an eyebrow as she considered the proposal. The woman could be a damn sphinx when she wanted to. That was Emma's least favourite of the former mayor's looks. Things could go either way with that look.

"Fine," Regina sighed making it clear that it was under duress. "As long as you agree that nothing that is said ever leaves that room."

"Totally," Emma agreed immediately. The last thing she wanted was the town knowing her business and that they were going to therapy together.

Regina nodded and opened the door to the front entrance. Emma followed closely behind.

* * *

Regina and Emma sat in the exact same spots on the couch as they had done in the previous session. Despite their temporary armistice, they both seemed determined to be as far from each other as possible. Archie sat across from them with the smile of a Cheshire cat. Regina had always despised that dubious feline and now that the smile was adopted by the Cricket she hated it even more.

She knew the meaning behind it all too well. He had single-handedly managed to get two of the most stubborn and volatile citizens of Storybrooke to sit down together for what he called 'a frank conversation'. Somehow that was supposed to remove the stigma and pressure of therapy. Regina scoffed at that. She and Emma had frank conversations all the time: heated, about-to-rip-each-other-to-pieces frank conversations.

_Why had she agreed to this, again? _

Archie clapped his hands once and rubbed them together. It was a little too gleeful for Regina's liking. "Right. Let's start off by sharing what our goals are for this session."

"To not zap you back into an insect halfway through it," Regina offered.

Archie visibly swallowed in response with a glint of hesitation behind his spectacles. Regina grinned. He needed to remember who really held the power in this dynamic. He looked to Emma for assistance.

"I'm kinda with her. Not the zapping part," Emma clarified as she shot Regina a chastising look. "But you told us to come back. Why do we need goals?"

"Because this isn't about me. It isn't even fully about Henry. This is about the two of you as parents and what that means," Archie elaborated.

"I cannot believe I gave him a doctorate," Regina rolled her eyes. As far as she was concerned, _they _were not parents. She was a parent. Emma was more like a host or a microwave oven incubating Henry until he was ready. Almost anyone could do that.

"Let's try this," Archie looked back at Regina. "What would be your ideal parenting dynamic?"

"To actually be his parent," she responded as though he were an imbecile. "I want to see him. That's all I've ever wanted- to have time with the son I raised for over a decade."

Archie turned to Emma. "What do you think is stopping that from happening?"

Emma dropped her eyes and moved uncomfortably on the couch. Archie implored her to be honest and assured her that this was a safe place for her feelings. The blonde glanced over at the older woman. She knew that the sheriff was fully aware that any room with Regina in it was not a sanctuary for her woes. Regina prepared herself for an assessment she was sure was bound to make her furious.

"You're over-emotional," Emma stated.

"Excuse me?" Regina was taken aback and even Archie was confused. The Evil Queen had been called many things but never emotional.

"Someone does something you don't like and you fly off the handle."

"I do not!" Regina's outrage was starting to sink in. The gall of this woman to make pronouncements about Regina's feelings when she knew nothing about them!

"You cursed the whole of Disneyland because you were pissed off at Snow White! I just don't want Henry getting caught in the crossfire. Physically or emotionally," Emma explained.

"I would never let that happen."

"But you did before."

Regina was ready to argue. She was prepared to defend herself with all the righteous indignation she could muster and that she had never needed to use before. They could accuse her of anything but not of hurting her son. But then… a moment. An image. Her son lying in a hospital. The taste of the bile that had risen from the most festering part of her soul as she stood at the foot of his bed with the haunting knowledge that she had done this to him.

She had unintentionally cursed her own child.

Emma was watching her. The moment their eyes connected each understood the other's pain. It was not dramatic. To an outsider, they were two people just looking at each other bound by some elusive entity. But this truth was not intangible. Something that shook two people who were as formidable as the Evil Queen and the White Knight could never be rooted in anything but real hardcore terror. It had all ended well enough, of course. But they were like shell-shocked war veterans. No one who had not experienced it could possibly comprehend it.

That was what it was. Not guilt. Regina had endured too much and had cared too little of others' opinions to be bogged down by just guilt. The recognition of the fear in Emma's eyes which reflected her own was what made her think for a moment. In all honesty, if the tables had been turned, Regina would have never let Emma anywhere near Henry. Why did she consider herself worthy of mercy?

"I don't know what to say," Regina's voice was barely above a whisper.

Emma turned in her seat so that she sat facing Regina. "Change my mind. Every day you deal with people who want you dead. And I see how hard you fight to control yourself around them. That's probably what makes me feel okay about doing this with you. I've seen you try. But sometimes it looks like you're gonna explode and I just… I don't know if you can change the way you're built. What kind of mother am I if I put my kid in harm's way? But if I'm wrong… Regina, you have to tell me if I'm wrong."

Fifteen minutes ago, Emma wouldn't have finished that sentence. Back then, it would have been obvious that Emma was wrong and the former mayor would have been happy to let her know it. Now, Regina paused for a moment of reflection. She spoke but she could not look at Emma. It was as if the words were as much for herself as they were for her son's biological mother.

Her voice was low as she confessed to Emma that her choices had unfortunate consequences for son and that she could never regret anything more than that. But she had meant was she had said in their last session. She did not care about this town. She did not care about the people. And she most certainly would never let her issues with them harm her child. It took its toll on her. Every day that she had to face alone was a struggle. But she was determined. That was what Emma could count on- her love and her determination.

And then Regina turned to Emma. She let the Saviour see her- no defence, no games, no mask. She peeled away years of lies and deceit and exposed herself in a way that she had sworn she would never do. A way that a part of her thought she was incapable of.

And Emma knew it.

They had forgotten about Archie until he started with, "Emma how do you feel about-"

"I believe you," Emma concluded before Archie could finish.

And Regina knew it.

There was something else Regina saw in the younger woman's eyes. A flicker of doubt. It was not directed at Regina. There was a feeling that the Saviour doubted herself. This would not be as easy as Regina pledging to be a model citizen. There was something bigger than that. Regina could sense what it was. It was the thing that destroyed her happiness every time.

"Your family," Regina simply stated.

Emma nodded. Regina could feel the anger creeping into her veins again. It always came back to Snow White. No matter what she did or how hard she tried, she would always be sacrificed because that damn girl. It was too much. Regina stood prompting Emma to jump to her feet.

"Don't go," Emma pleaded.

"What was the point? Why make me go through this when you knew that nothing would come of it?" Regina asked as she tried to build up her walls again. But it wasn't happening quickly enough. It was obvious how much Emma's truth hurt Regina.

"Perhaps we should sit down and discuss…" Archie started.

"Shut up!" Regina boomed. "I only want to hear from her."

Regina stared at Emma who was clearly at a loss for words. How could she be so stupid as to allow herself to believe in Emma? Because that's what had happened. She had believed in Emma. She had been so clouded by her desperation for Henry and Emma's apparent willingness to work on this co-parenting nonsense that she believed enough to open herself up like a fool. She headed for the door frantic for an escape.

"It's not easy," Emma yelled after her. "…to go from practically being alone your whole life to having all these new people in it!"

Regina stopped. She did not know why but she stopped. She was stuck. She could not turn back and she could not leave. Why was it that she could never just shake off Emma Swan? There was a power the younger woman held over her that forced her to engage even as she knew better.

"I'm almost thirty and all of a sudden I have… parents." Emma continued. "I have parents who are good people, who love me and who are protective of me. But Henry's right. Sometimes I act like I don't want them even though I do. I can't just be their daughter and a lot of that is your fault."

Regina remained still. She had accepted the blame for too much already today. She could not take any more of it. Yet, she still could not leave.

"If I do this, if I let you back into Henry's life, I'm scared they'll think I don't care about what you did. I'm scared that they'll think that I really don't want them. But if I don't do it, if I let Henry grow up without his mother, how will I be any different from the Evil Queen?" Emma's voice was shaking.

Whatever stone anchored Regina to her position shifted slightly allowing her to move just enough to see Emma looking back at her. That was the face- free from years of trained restraint and disguise. In Emma's open features, Regina saw herself. Saw what she must have looked like to Emma a few minutes ago. Now they had both seen the versions of each other that were off limits to the rest of the world. They had _seen _each other.

"There's an emptiness inside me, too. A kind of darkness from the past. I don't want them to know it exists. I can't be who they need me to be if it exists. I want to be that person for them and I hope that's enough. I pray someday they'll understand why I'm doing this. But, in the meantime, I'll make this work. For Henry," Emma was persuading herself. She was willing to sacrifice one side of her family for the other and, yet, still hold on to fleeting faith that it would somehow be alright in the end. She really was Snow White's daughter.

There could be no easy answers to this. Regina and Emma were now truly travelling unchartered territory and, ironically, only had each other in their attempts to survive it. When Regina really thought about it, it was ridiculous. There was too much history between her and Snow. She had engaged in too many battles with Emma. She had lost so much favour with her son. The thought that they could all somehow make this work just because they really _really_ wanted it to was a grander delusion than the twenty-eight years she had spent in cursed Storybrooke.

It was bound to end in disaster and Regina knew it. That was the story of her life. And for Emma to believe that the result would be any different was beyond naïve.

And, yet, all Regina could manage in response was "okay" because if anybody could make the impossible happen- it was The Saviour.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Greetings good people! My apologies for the delay on this chapter. I wasn't as sure about it but, in the interest of keeping the story moving, I've decided to roll with it. Hopefully, nothing's coming too out of left field with this one.**

**My work schedule has changed so I won't be updating every Monday anymore. BUT... I will still be updating every week so you'll get the chapters on whichever day they're ready for publishing.**

**I haven't done this in a while sooooo... SHOUT OUT to everyone who has been reviewing, following, favouriting and even those of who are just reading along. I'll say it again- it's incredibly encouraging and fuels my fingertips to type more. Now, without further ado...**

Chapter Eight

Emma rolled through the streets of Storybrooke in her sheriff's car. It suddenly struck her how different small town life was from the city. In Boston there was traffic, road rage, and sidewalks full of people rushing to and from work. You could feel the city's pulse and energy and it soon it became your own.

Storybrooke was quiet- sedate- if she didn't count the fact that it was filled with fairytale characters and magic. She never thought she would miss chasing down con-men and sleazebags with debt up to their eyeballs. They were stupid and predictable which made them very easy to catch. Now that she thought about it, she could use a little predictable in her life. Storybrooke may have been mostly quiet but its residents could be a handful.

Emma parked outside the diner and jumped out. As she pushed the door open and walked through, she spotted Regina sitting alone in a booth by the large windows looking out into the street. It had been three days since she had last seen the former mayor. Three days since they had agreed to reach a compromise regarding an attempt at co-parenting. Nothing had been set in stone. Their hour was up and Regina refused to come in again for another session with just Emma. The sheriff agreed. They were adults who were more than capable of figuring this out themselves.

It was no longer that she could not stand to be in a room alone with Regina. It was what happened inside the room that freaked her out. Something had occurred between them that was unexpected and a little alarming. They had recognised themselves in each other. After over a year of fighting and hating each other, they were starting to realise that they had more in common than they had anticipated.

There was a void that lived within them. One created by the trauma and darkness of their separate pasts. They both battled it every day for the sake of their family. But instead of confronting their own demons, they had focused on destroying each other. Blaming Regina for her shitty upbringing was easier than facing the effects of years of abuse and neglect from foster families. It was easier than confronting her short comings in her current family.

Now she had finally acknowledged it out loud. Somehow, it was fitting that it transpired in front of Regina. Could anyone else from the world of happy endings understand it? Her parents would have just tried to fix it but this wasn't a broken cupboard or a leaky faucet. Her friends- okay Ruby- would have wanted to talk it out but she was tired of talking. There were only so many breakthroughs that she could take. Regina, on the other hand, was not the type to cry over spilt milk. She was determined to live in the present. That suited Emma just fine.

Regina tore her eyes away from the view of Main Street and they met Emma's. Their gaze locked. What was supposed to happen now? The sheriff knew what she was meant to do. She could give a polite nod of the head toward Regina (because really she couldn't pretend the other woman didn't exist and they hadn't shared this huge emotional moment with each other) and then make her way to the safety of the diner's counter. Then she would not have to confront the secret understanding she shared with Regina. It would make it a hell of a lot easier to pretend that her opinion of the former Evil Queen had not changed.

And it was changing… a lot.

However, before she could correct her movement, the blonde felt herself gravitating towards Regina's table. She plonked herself across from the brunette who looked back her with perfectly raised eyebrows.

_Say something Emma!_

"Miss Swan, is there any particular reason you find it appropriate to interrupt me as I enjoy this mediocre coffee?" Regina asked.

There it was: the predictability that Emma had craved. She could always count on Regina to treat her exactly the same way she had before the curse broke. To the former mayor, Emma was not some superhero. There were no expectations. She was just the same old Emma and it was odd how safe that felt. Especially after their emotional intimacy in Archie's office. Regina was going to play it cool.

"I, um, wanted to ask if you could pick up Henry after school tomorrow?" Emma asked with a hint of caution. She had been mulling over this decision for what felt like forever. Henry was surprised when Emma told him about their session. He didn't need to know the details but just the fact that Regina had showed up affected him. However, he did nothing to make the choice of how to move forward any easier. He had acted impartial even as she knew that he obsessed about it as much as she did.

Honestly, she wasn't sure if this would be moving too fast. She believed in Regina's resolve regarding Henry and reasoned that it would only be a few hours. If Henry wanted to stop at any point, she'd call it off. But she knew she had to give him the chance to make that choice. In many ways, he knew Regina (Storybrooke Regina) better than anyone else. So here they were.

"Why?" Regina played with the mug between her hands. This woman was beyond suspicious even when she was getting what she wanted.

"Everyone's busy and there's a backlog of paper work I have to deal with at the station," Emma explained.

That was a lie. Emma stopped doing paper work the day Regina stopped being the mayor. She was sure that would come back and bite her in the ass someday.

"So will you do it?" Emma asked again.

Regina sat up a little straighter, "Of course I'll do it. Just because you can't handle your duties as a mother, it doesn't mean that I'll neglect mine."

"Gee, thanks."

Emma smiled inwardly. This request could have could have gone smoother. Emma could have just asked if Regina wanted to spend the afternoon with their son and Regina could have replied in the affirmative with gratitude. But that wouldn't be true to who they were. Everything had to be a tug of war with Emma and Regina just for the sheer hell of it.

"Did you ask Henry about this?" Regina shifted the mug in circles. She was trying to be nonchalant.

"Yeah," Emma replied simply.

"Well, what did he say?"

"Nothing. He just shrugged."

"Honestly, Miss Swan."

"It's not like he said no which he's very capable of doing by the way," Emma clarified. She caught a small agitated sigh from Regina as she continued moving her mug around on the table. Emma could not believe what she was seeing right before her in the brunette's body language. "Are you nervous?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Regina snapped.

"You are! The big bad mayor is nervous about being alone with an eleven year old boy. That's so cute," Emma half chuckled.

"Cute?"

Emma stopped. Did she just use the word cute? Did she just use the word cute in relation to Regina? _Did she just call Regina cute?!_

"I didn't mean _cute _cute. I was just… I mean that you and Henry… the whole situation…" Emma stammered. She was acting like a complete idiot. How did this happen?

As if sent by God, Ruby made her way to their table. She reached them and stopped with her hands on her hips and a confused look on her face as she stared at a flustered Emma.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.

"Um, I'll just have a coffee," Emma ordered.

"No, I mean are you okay?" Ruby's eyes glanced over in Regina's direction.

Emma knew exactly what Ruby had meant the first time. However, her skills of deflection were clearly lacking. Emma and Regina sitting together in the diner was not normal. The pair having a civil conversation that did not result in a screaming match and threats of vengeance was not normal. But of course the rest of the town was not in on the developments of their interactions.

"I'll take a donut too," Emma glossed over Ruby's concern in the hopes that Regina would miss it. She only hoped her friend would take the hint.

"I hope that isn't what you've been feeding my son," Regina said with a sip of her coffee.

Ruby whipped her head around to Regina. "Emma's a great mother and no one was talking to you."

"Miss Swan, could you throw your watch dog a bone or something so we can continue or private conversation?" Regina said without looking up from her cup.

"Excuse me?!" Ruby was mad.

Emma quickly jumped up.

"Whoa! Everybody calm down," Emma instructed. So much for her trying to carefully diffuse the bomb.

"I'm perfectly calm," Regina looked up with a mockingly innocent smile. Emma really wished the other woman did not enjoy this so much.

"You're a perfect bitch!" Ruby had gone from mad to fuming. Emma understood it. Regina had taken Ruby away from her home, had tortured her best friend Snow White and Emma knew for a fact that Regina never left a tip at the diner.

"Rubes, can you just give us two minutes?"

"Emma…" Ruby protested.

"One minute," Emma pleaded.

With one last glare at Regina, Ruby walked back to the counter. Emma dropped back into her seat with a disapproving glare at Regina.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You promised-" Emma accused.

"I promised not to do anything that put Henry in harm's way. Schooling the werewolf doesn't count," Regina clarified.

"It was rude. You can't just go around doing things that offend people."

"You know that jacket offends me and yet you still insist on wearing it," Regina countered.

Emma looked down at her favourite red leather jacket. She looked back up at Regina with a scowl.

"That's completely different!" Emma argued. "And by the way, this jacket is awesome. It's not my fault you have so sense of style."

"First I'm over emotional and now I have no sense of style? Miss Swan, I'm starting to think you don't know me at all."

"Trust me, after having you in my face for a year, I know you."

"I was nothing but accommodating to you. Even after you cut down my tree."

"You had me put in jail!"

"I thought prison would feel like a second home to you."

"Wow!" Emma chuckled. "You know what's funny? I kinda think of those as the good old days."

"Yeah," Regina didn't fight the smile.

"So you really think we're gonna be able to act like nothing's changed?" Emma asked avoiding Regina's gaze. As much as she enjoyed the familiarity of their sparring matches and was loathed to engage in some lame girly conversation along the lines of 'where do we go from here', Emma wondered how long they could both keep up the pretence of emotional indifference towards each other.

She looked back up at Regina who unabashedly met her eyes with a seriousness that belied the joking and smiling of just a minute ago.

"Look at us, Sheriff. It's already obvious that something's different," Regina acknowledged with a sigh.

Emma nodded. She had experienced some difficult relationships both past and present but this- adjusting to the change in her relation to Regina- would definitely be the most difficult navigate. There was still a long way to go but it felt as though they were on the right track. Now they just had to make sure they didn't completely screw it up as they were both so prone to doing in their separate lives.

From the corner of her eye, Emma caught sight of Mary Margaret passing the diner's window. She panicked.

"So you'll pick up Henry and I'll get him from your house?" Emma stood.

"Okay," Regina looked baffled.

"Cool. Tomorrow then."

Emma took off just as Mary Margaret stepped into the diner. The blonde almost ran straight into her mother but managed to control herself before the possible head on collision.

"You're here!" Mary Margaret smiled in surprise.

"Yeah, coffee?" Emma quickly guided her mother to the counter and away from seeing Regina. Having Ruby on her case was bad enough. She did not need her mother making her feel guilty, too.

Right on cue, Ruby made her way to the counter. Emma mentally willed her to not mention the scene with Regina. Talk about wishful thinking.

"So, you gonna tell me what that was about?" Ruby stopped just short of accusing Emma as though she had committed some heinous felony.

"What?" Mary Margaret asked.

Ruby nodded her head over to where Regina was seated. Mary Margaret looked over her shoulder and sighed.

"Did the two of you get into it again?" Mary Margaret asked Emma. Her voice was dripping with maternal concern.

"No, I was just making sure she's behaving herself," Emma lied. She reasoned that it was a lie for the greater good.

"It looked pretty cosy to me," Ruby's tone was suggestive. Emma didn't like what it was suggesting.

"Because we weren't yelling at each other? Aren't we supposed to be adults?" Emma was a little too defensive.

"Of course. All of that yelling doesn't do anyone any good." Mary Margaret responded. At least Emma had managed to placate her. Ruby would be another story.

"I'm still waiting on that coffee, Rubes."

Ruby glared at Emma. "Mm-hmm."

She was still suspicious. Maybe being a werewolf meant that Ruby could smell the lies and the distinct lack of hatred Emma had for Regina. But she said nothing more. She simply shuffled off to make the coffee. What could Ruby have possibly seen that was so terrible anyway? They were just two people talking. Okay, they were predestined sworn enemies. Sworn enemies who were talking and sharing and laughing and using the word cute…

_Why the fuck did she do that?!_

**A/N2: Hmmmmmmm...**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Regina checked her make up for the third time in her rear view mirror. She had also suddenly become obsessed with ensuring her dark hair fell perfectly just above her shoulders as though somehow if she looked perfect, it would erase all of her past misjudgements. But she was not perfect and no one knew that more than her son. Still, she had to try.

She had been sitting outside Henry's school for almost fifteen frustrating minutes. She had left the house too early. It was not because she feared being late to meet her son. Rather, it was because she could no longer stand staring at the walls in her house pretending to be composed. The silence maddened her. Any speck of dust she found had her bringing out an arsenal of cleaning agents ready for attack. Every outfit she tried on had her feeling like she was going on a first date.

Emma had called it: Regina Mills was nervous. It had felt like a lifetime since she was last alone with her son. And even though he had not objected to their temporary reunion, she was still not sure whether he wanted to spend the afternoon with her. The absence of a 'no' was not exactly a resounding 'yes'.

She had not slept the previous night. Nightmares of the various ways she could ruin her son's visit plagued her subconscious. Then there were the images of a crazed Charming and Snow White dancing gleefully as she burned at the stake for trying to steal her own son back. Fortunately, she had refrained from retreating to Henry's bedroom again. She was certain he would be able to smell the sad desperation in his room if she had done that. She was vigorous with her morning cleaning and returned to buying wholesome and high in nutritional value groceries. Henry hated healthy food and cared nothing for the state of the mansion but she wanted it to seem as though time had stopped in that house in anticipation of his return. She wanted to scrub away any trace of the deep depression that had settled within its walls.

And then she waited.

Every minute in the mansion felt like hours of waiting. She jumped in the car and took the longest and most meandering route around Storybrooke to get to his school. And then she sat in the car and checked her make up.

It was finally three 'o clock. Show time.

Regina stepped out of the car and tightened the belt of her coat as if to fortify herself against her own anxiety instead of the chilly air. She crossed the street and took measured steps toward the school building chastising herself for her weakness. Once, she had the power to strike fear in the biggest and bravest of both beast and man. She had those grown men quivering in their little leather boots. Now Regina was the only one squirming because of a pre-pubescent boy. A year ago, she would have laughed in disdain at herself.

She reached the waiting area where a few parents were standing and stopped a short distance behind the group as they chatted amongst themselves. Even before the curse had broken, she had never been a part of the 'parent community'. No one asked her to bake cupcakes (which really was their loss) or host play dates at the mayoral mansion or even speak on career day even though she was the most successful person in Storybrooke. She was now more alienated from them than ever. Not that she thought any of them were worthy of her time and effort anyway.

Subconsciously, she lifted her large collar so that it covered half her face. She watched as children began to emerge from the building and make their way to their respective owners. Henry walked out with two boys and she instantly straightened at the sight of him determined to become the personification of a woman in control of her emotions. He looked over at her and she put up a hand in greeting.

The boys stopped. Henry looked away from her. He turned is back to her. He kept talking to the boys. Minute after minute passed as Regina waited for Henry to come to her, look at her, acknowledge her in absolutely any way. But there was nothing. Had she gotten the day right? Had her depression run so deep that she had conjured up Emma's request in her imagination? Had she been shown to be a complete fool by the Charmings?

Regina's blood ran cold even as her body burned feverishly hot. Her heart beat thudded in her ears and she struggled to catch her breath. She could feel a strange older body bump into hers. Its distant voice professed sincere apologies and excuses. But then its eyes recognised her. Its eyes shamed her telling her she did not belong there- she had no right to be there. Regina had been subjected to many of these looks from the residents of Storybrooke and she could usually ignore them. But not now. Not in this moment when she finally had all this hope for a change in her life only for it to be dashed by a pre-pubescent boy.

Her survival instinct kicked in and she fled. She had to retreat, regroup and strategise. She dug into her coat pocket and pulled out her keys as she reached the car. Her shaking hands fumbled with the key ring and they slipped through her fingers before she could find the right one. She leaned her palms against the car as she crouched over and took a deep breath. The unbearable pounding of her heart beat still rang in her ears. She took another breath before bending over and retrieving her keys and then finally escaped to the sanctuary of the driver's seat of her Mercedes Benz.

She hit her forehead against the cold steering wheel. She could feel her chest constricting as the image of her son blatantly ignoring her threatened to tear her insides apart. How could she have gotten this so wrong? Despite their clashes and the tension between them, Regina had never known Henry to be intentionally cruel. Had she not raised him better than that?

A jolt crackled through her body at the sound of the passenger's door opening and closing. She looked up to find Henry sitting beside her.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse and her mind swirled in confusion.

"Emma said you were picking me up," Henry responded. He was just missing the _'duh' _but his tone hinted at it.

"But before…" Regina could not bring herself to say it out loud. She would be happy if she never relived that moment ever again. Henry gave her a look that suggested that he felt exactly the same way. There was a mild panic in his eyes and, even though she had one hundred questions and three hundred ways of scolding him for his abhorrent behaviour, she resolved not to push it any further for the meantime.

She stuck the key into the ignition and started the car. She looked at Henry who stared straight ahead and pulled out of her parking spot.

"Grandma and grandpa don't know about this- that Emma asked you to do this," Henry offered out of nowhere. They had been driving in strained silence for almost ten minutes. "I was scared if someone saw me with you they'd tell and then you wouldn't be able to come get me from school again."

Regina looked at Henry in shock. He had hung his head and was looking at his lap. It was like he was a six year old boy again sitting and waiting for his punishment after he broke his mother's favourite crystal vase. He then turned his head up to look back at her and she realised how much he had grown since then. Really, over the past year. But what truly floored her was that Henry, the person who had been hell bent on exposing her lies, was protecting her. He was protecting their relationship or, at least, the chance to rebuild their relationship. Regina had never been a sentimental mother but hearing that from her son had her tearing up.

He raised an eyebrow at her much like Regina would have done if their roles were reversed, "Mom."

"Yeah," Regina's voice was worse now that it was thick with emotion.

"Stop sign," he pointed ahead.

"Shit!" Regina turned her attention back to the road and hit the brakes hard causing them both to lurch forward from the impact. She instinctively held out a protective arm across Henry's body to secure him and exhaled in relief. "Sorry."

Henry giggled at his mother's contrite expression. He looked down at Regina's arm. "I'm not a kid anymore more, Mom. And I'm wearing my belt."

"I know but you're my son. I'll be doing that when you're forty."

Henry rolled his eyes and shook his head and Regina could not help her secret smile. She removed her arm and continued driving them back home with one thought:

_He called me Mom._

**A/N: This was supposed to be longer but I kinda fell in love with this ending. But there will be more about the visit in the next update. So consider this part one:)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Shout out to my 100th follower Bricaro and the lovely guest reviewer who got me to 50 reviews! **

**I give you... Part Two:)**

Chapter Ten

Regina opened the door to the mansion and stood back as Henry walked in ahead of her. He stopped in the foyer and she watched him look around for a moment. She did not expect him to compliment the pristine state of the house but rather waited for some hint that he had missed his home. Anything that suggested that his interlude with the Charmings was just a vacation and that this, his life with her in the mansion, was his real life. She held her breath as he slowly turned around and faced her.

"Is my stuff still in my old room?" he asked. Regina sighed slightly. There it was- his old room, old home, old life. For the first time, she realised that she had been in complete denial over the past few months. Some naïve part of her had not fully accepted that he was not only hers anymore. She was reminded of it well enough every day but it was only at that point, watching Henry looking back at her from the middle of the foyer, that she acknowledged the truth. She thought that all it would take was Henry coming back to this house- just a moment alone with her away from the Charmings' venomous influence- and she would have him back.

It would not be like before. It would be like the time before that. They would somehow go back to the time before the book and Emma Swan and the hatred that would burn in his eyes when he looked at her. They would be transported to a time when she was the only one who could cure him, make him smile or bake apple pie just the way he liked it. She may not have been the sugary sweet reincarnation of Mary Poppins but they had understood each other. They were bonded. They were happy.

It was a happiness she knew she did not deserve but she treasured it. She wrapped herself in its memory whenever she was in the mansion and had hoped that he would remember it too. But that was a long time ago. It was a great deal longer than she realised.

She kept her disappointment in check and simply replied "Yes. But you should come do your homework in the kitchen."

"Mom, it's Friday," Henry whined.

"Does that mean you have nothing due for Monday?"

"No. Just that it's Friday."

"I suppose you now do your homework five minutes before you leave for school on Monday?"

"No," Henry defended. "Five minutes before I go to bed on Sunday- like everyone else."

"What have I always said to you Henry?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "Get the work done then you have fun."

"Exactly. I'll make you some lunch and I have a special treat for dessert."

Realising he was fighting a losing battle; Henry shuffled toward the staircase but then stopped at the bottom. He turned back to Regina.

"You know, most moms in your shoes would be spoiling me rotten right now," he said.

"What's your point, dear?" Regina asked with an edge of defensiveness.

"Nothing," he smiled. Without another word, he made his way up the staircase under Regina's confused yet semi-amused gaze.

Watching him seemed to be the theme of this visit. She stood in the corner of the kitchen and observed him hunched over his books on the counter. She watched his differences: he was taller, his hair had grown, and his face was no longer that of her little baby boy but the early beginnings of a young man. She watched his mannerisms: the frown as he worked through a question, the way he chewed on the top of his pencil, his body frozen as he daydreamed in the middle of reading a sentence.

He ate. They talked. About school. About all of his new friends who weren't sure which was cooler- having the Saviour or the Evil Queen for a mother. Charming was teaching him sword fighting. Was it okay for him to talk about them? Regina insisted it was fine. Homework was a lot easier now that his former teacher was also his grandmother. Emma tried to make him dinner once and almost burnt down the kitchen. He was animated. He smiled. He looked like a normal child and not the centre of the most twisted family tree and an epic battle between good and evil.

It made her sad that she was not a part of his joy. It made her smile that she had not ruined him as badly as she had feared. It made her love him more to see how hard he was trying to share his new home and new life with her.

"Mom," he said suddenly.

"Yes, dear?" Regina responded still somewhat caught up in her own musings.

"I just… there were things I said- before- that weren't… I was so mad but I shouldn't have…" he struggled to find the words.

"It's alright, Henry."

Henry stared at his mother intently for a long moment, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," Regina fought the lump that formed in her throat. It did not absolve the guilt that she felt when it came to Henry. What was done was done. She did not possess the magic to take them back to those precious years before everything imploded. But she felt as though her son was offering her a clean slate- one infused with honesty and free of blame. One where he was not hers alone but, at least, she was a part his world. A world that included the Charmings; the responsibility that she shared with Emma and the chance to show him, in every moment with him, how much she loved him.

It was not her ideal but it was a world that had Henry in it. And so, she willingly accepted.

* * *

Sheriff Swan sat in her office with her feet up on her desk and her chair balancing on its hind legs. She was teetering over the edge both physically and emotionally. She was more unproductive than usual as her mind was consumed with concern over how Regina and Henry's little play date was progressing. Every time she picked up the telephone, her fingers itched to dial Regina's number. With every look at the door, her legs quivered with the temptation to run out, jump into the car and drive over to the mansion so she could spy on them.

She tried to reorganise the filing cabinet but never made it past the first shelf. She had to stop drinking coffee because it set her on edge. She couldn't make it through a game of solitaire on her computer without wanting to smash the screen in because she couldn't focus on the damn game. Where the hell was crime when she needed it? A shoplifter, a noise complaint, some dumb person's dog shitting where it shouldn't?!

It would be fine. She knew everything was going to be fine. She would have never suggested the visit if she thought otherwise. Regina would never do anything to jeopardise the chance she had been given. When she first arrived in Storybrooke, Emma may have doubted the mayor's maternal instincts but after the changes she had witnessed in Regina and the conversations that had been shared in Archie's office, she was convinced of the purity of Regina's love.

She was nervous about Henry.

The loud thud of a stack of papers landing on her desk snapped Emma back to reality and disturbed her perfect balance. She swung her arms about to avoid falling back until the chair crashed forward on its front legs. She remained still as she breathed heavily feeling as though she had just been saved from the grip of death.

She looked up to find David smirking back at her.

"What the hell?!" Emma huffed in annoyance.

"I called your name three times," David replied.

"So you thought you'd give me a heart attack?"

"Got your attention," David sat on her desk so that he faced her. "You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Emma, you've been in a daze all day. Talk to me."

Emma looked at him sceptically.

"Not as your father. Just as David."

How could Emma begin to explain this to him? She didn't fully understand it herself. She was risking everything for Regina. She had made a deliberate choice to encourage her being in Henry's life and, by extension, her life too. And she was so nervous. She was nervous because she wanted it to work. She didn't care about what that meant or what the consequences would be. She just wanted it to work.

How could she explain that to someone who hated Regina so much? David hadn't seen what she'd seen. But she needed someone, anyone, to tell her that she was doing the right thing. This business of living in her own head and wrestling with her own conscience was too much for her to deal with alone.

"I don't know. You're Prince Charming. Apparently, you're perfect," Emma teased.

He chuckled, "Far from it."

"Okay," she moved her chair so that she fully faced him. "Have you ever done anything that people think is wrong but that you know in your heart you have to do? Just… because it's bigger than you. It's about more than you."

"Yes," David's admission was loaded even in its simplicity. There it was again- the long complicated past of the Enchanted Forest that she would never be a part of and the reminder that they were all human and not just fairy tale characters.

"Do you regret it?"

"It led me to Snow. It gave me you and, later, Henry. It's hard to regret that."

"So the ends justify the means?"

David thought for a moment. "It's more about whether or not you can live with those means. We all make choices without fully knowing the consequences. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it destroys everything. It's all about faith. You deal with it, you learn from it and you move on."

Faith. She had never had much use for it growing up. She had never even considered it as an adult. When the world around one is ugly and cold, where does one keep one's faith?

"I won't ask you what this is about but I'm sure, whatever it is, you did the right thing," David continued.

"How can you be so sure," Emma challenged.

"Because I have faith in you. We may not have raised you but you have the kind of courage and strength and integrity that makes your mother and me very proud of who you are. Who you've become."

Emma cursed herself for getting misty eyed. She was wracked with guilt. But more than that, it crushed her that she wanted to hug her father. Because the man before her was everything the little girl she used to be imagined her daddy would be like- a father who said just the right thing to make her feel as though anything was possible. She wanted to bury herself in his arms even as she knew she wouldn't.

"I see how you got the name Charming," she joked instead.

"It's a blessing and a curse," he played along. He checked his watch. "Shouldn't you be getting Henry from his tutor?"

Extra math lessons was the best cover that Emma could think of for Henry's visit with Regina. It was really stupid considering he was Boy Genius and no one knew that better than his beloved former teacher Miss Blanchard. But, bless their hearts, they never said a word against it.

Emma thanked David for the advice and bolted out of the station.

* * *

Regina looked surprised by the sight of Emma standing on her doorstep. Emma had been standing on the porch for a few minutes in the hopes of calming her anxiety. She was about to face the first consequence of her choice and crossed every body part that could comply in the hopes that the result would be good.

"I'm not early am I," Emma asked tentatively.

"No. I must have lost track of time," Regina composed herself and called behind her. "Henry! Miss Swan's here for you!"

Emma could hear Henry's footsteps as he jogged to the door and popped up from behind Regina. He gave her a bright smile and Emma felt like she could fully breathe for the first time that day. He turned on his heel and bounded up the stairs.

"He looks good," Emma observed.

"Well, don't sound so surprised. You didn't think I was going to lock him up in a dungeon or something?"

"Jesus, Regina. You're so dramatic. I was just saying that it looks like he had fun. Which is a good thing," Emma explained.

The two women stood uncomfortably in the doorway. Emma was slightly disappointed that Regina did not invite her in. She felt like the dead beat dad that Regina wanted to have nothing to do with anymore.

"Henry needs a haircut. I can't have my son walking around looking like a sheep dog," Regina said.

"Gotcha. I can finally put that week I worked in a hair salon to use."

"Miss Swan, I'm mostly aware that you're joking yet I still feel the need to beg you to refrain from touching Henry's hair."

"That's because you don't have a sense of humour," Emma deliberately provoked Regina.

"I have one. I just know what to do with it," Regina responded with a smirk.

"You're such a tease Madam Mayor."

"I'm starting to think that these little chats are the full extent of your social life, Miss Swan."

"Right. And I had to fight through a crowd of men to get to your front door."

"Who said my social life includes men?"

Emma stopped at that. She was not exactly sure what was happening or where their conversation had changed from two mothers to… she had no idea what. How did this keep happening between them?

"One day, I'm gonna figure you out, Regina."

"Good luck with that," Regina said with a confidence that was a shadow of the Evil Queen. Any hint of Regina's former self should have unnerved Emma but in this context, her curiosity won out.

"If I didn't know any better-"

Emma was cut off by Regina looking up and past her. She turned to find Kathryn, two bottles of wine in hand, walking toward them. She had not seen Kathryn since the curse had broken and, truth be told, she had all but ceased to exist in the Charming house.

"I know I'm early…" Kathryn began in apology.

"That's okay. Miss Swan's just here to pick up Henry," Regina explained.

"Really?" Kathryn responded in surprise. "That's great. That he was here."

Emma nodded. They stood around awkwardly. This was a tough crowd for polite small talk. Emma took to shoving her hands in her pockets and staring at her shoes. _What the hell was taking Henry so long?_

"So, Emma, being the Saviour seems to suit you," Kathryn broke the silence.

"Thanks," Emma responded uncertain of the compliment and whether it either was or was not a compliment.

"How's David?"

"Um, fine… I guess," Emma suddenly felt a little hot in her jacket. They may all look her age but she was way too young to be discussing her father with his ex-wife while he was shacking up with her mother.

"That's good. I'm glad he hasn't tripped over one of Mary Margaret's shoes, stumbled along and fallen out of a window only to be impaled on a street sign," Kathryn mused with a smile.

Regina's hand flew to cover her mouth but Emma could spot the smile in her eyes. The sheriff wasn't used to being outnumbered when it came to the Charming fan club. She would have to take one for the team.

"Actually, they're very happy." Emma defended. "Really, really happy."

_Way to oversell, Swan._

Emma straightened to show she was standing her ground. Kathryn's smile broadened and Emma was surprised to see the slight rise and fall of Regina's shoulders. They were laughing at her. She was the freaking Saviour and they were laughing at her!

"Forgive me, Sheriff," Kathryn giggled. "This was just too deliciously awkward. I'm really glad he's happy."

Emma turned to Regina who was turning red. "I expected better from you."

Regina hopelessly shrugged her shoulders. Emma had never seen her like this. She was like a sixteen year old girl who was busted for passing funny notes about the teacher to her best friend.

"It's called having a sense of humour Miss Swan," Regina replied coyly.

Finally, Henry appeared and made his way out of the house. He hugged Regina who, for a moment, looked as though she wouldn't let go of him then ran out to the car.

"Well, I should…" Emma gestured toward the car.

Regina nodded. The levity of five minutes ago completely gone. Emma gave a nod towards Kathryn and made her way down the walkway.

"Miss Swan!" Regina called behind her. Emma turned back to find Regina approaching her. The former mayor stopped with a frown as she struggled with what she wanted to say.

"What is it Regina?" Emma prodded.

Regina looked at her. "Thank you."

Emma smiled. She nodded and walked to the car before Regina could take it back.

Inside the car, she ruffled Henry's sheep dog hair as he grinned back at her. It was weird how much she missed the kid even though there was absolutely no reason to.

"So?" Emma asked dying to be debriefed.

"It was alright. She made me do my homework," Henry elaborated.

"Seriously? Lucky me, now I don't have to worry about it."

"She made tofu burgers."

"Ugh," Emma frowned.

"And rice cakes for dessert."

"I don't think that is a dessert," Emma argued.

"It was the yoghurt flavoured ones," He smiled. "She buys those when she's in a good mood."

"What happens when she's in a bad mood?"

Henry's smile faded. "It's kinda sad. Nothing's changed in there. It's like everything stopped when I left."

Emma brushed his hair off his face and cupped it. "Well that's what happens when you're a mom. Your whole life stops without your kid. I didn't even have a life until you found me."

"Are we gonna do this again?" he asked.

"Only if you want to."

"I want to."

Emma searched Henry's face for uncertainty but found none. Suddenly, she realised that she had found her faith after all. It was in Henry.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Good people. I humbly come before you begging your forgiveness. I work freelance so sometimes I have lots of free time and sometimes I'm smothered beneath a mountain of work and deadlines. And I went away for a couple of weeks and couldn't do any writing. Now, I'm back and have reclaimed control of my life. I will finish this story if it kills me. I can promise you that! I just hope that you all haven't completely given up on me and this story (which you would have every right to do) and I hope to continue entertaining you all with Swan Queen-feels-goodness.**

**This chapter is a little longer to atone for my sins. I think you've all waited long enough so here's...**

Chapter Eleven

Regina and Emma agreed to keep Friday as the day for Henry and Regina's visits. They had their schedule down: Regina would park a street away and wait for Henry; she would cook him lunch or help with his school projects; Emma would arrive and wait for Henry on the doorstep and Regina would breathlessly wait for the six days to pass until it was Friday again.

Sometimes she would see Henry in the six days in between- on the street or in the diner or in one of the stores on Main Street. When he was with his grandparents, he got a polite 'hello' before they ushered him away from her. Seeing him under those circumstances was worse than waiting six days because when, he was with them, he was not her Henry. She could not hold him close or check his progress at school or acknowledge in any way the secret life they now shared together.

It was different when he was with Emma. None of them was brave enough to dive into public displays of affection but they stood around and chatted easily even with the curious glances that surrounded them. Once, she even helped them pick out supplies for a science project he was working on. There was definitely still a barrier but it was always a welcome surprise and Regina would walk away even more anxious for Friday to roll around again.

On one particular Friday, her excitement was squashed by her so-called trustworthy luxury car's refusal to start. She tried again. Nothing. She pulled the key out, stuck it back in and tried again. Still nothing. She automatically raised her hand to use magic but then stopped herself. Technically, no one would know. She could start the car, pick up Henry and continue to have another wonderful stolen afternoon with her son.

But she had made a promise. And even though she knew that the whole 'no magic' rule was to ensure she didn't instigate any grand evil plans of revenge, she didn't trust herself with it even in her banal daily routine. The day she and Emma had used magic together to find Henry, she had felt a resurgence of power within her. She had fought the temptation to experiment with it knowing how quickly it could consume her.

When Rumple had first propositioned her, she had been adamant that she did not want to end up like her mother. She had a front row seat to how destructive Cora was when it came to using magic to get what she wanted and how ruthless she was in its execution. The imp may have taught her magic, but Regina had learnt her addiction from Cora. As much as her fingertips tingled to solve her car troubles, she grabbed her cellphone instead and dialled.

Kathryn was more than happy to pick her up and take her to Henry. Since their Friday night dinner date was scheduled for her place that night, they agreed that they would just go back to Kathryn's for the afternoon. She texted Emma to that effect.

* * *

Emma stared at her cellphone for a long moment. The words in the message made sense but she didn't understand them:

_Spending the afternoon at Kathryn's. You'll find us there._

There was a normal reaction and then there was the irritation bubbling beneath Emma's cool appearance as she stared at the screen; the annoyance as she patrolled the neighbourhood; and then the outrage as she knocked on Kathryn's door a few hours later.

Kathryn answered the door with a warm smile, "Emma. Hi."

"Can I speak to Regina?" Emma responded curtly. She was being rude. It wasn't her intention and she was grateful when Kathryn recovered her faltering smile and leaned back calling Regina's name.

Kathryn stepped away and was replaced by Regina who appeared to be a calmer version of her usual self. Her shirt sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, her minimal make up made her look younger and there was an ease in the way she leaned against the door frame.

"Miss Swan."

"What the hell's going on?" Emma demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"If your time with Henry is interfering with your social life, we can just make other plans."

"I don't like what you're insinuating," Regina's defensiveness kicked in.

"I'm just saying… you seem pretty caught up with Kathryn."

"I was having trouble with my car. She helped. I fail to see what the issue is," Regina straightened and folded her arms.

"You could have called me," Emma offered.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because _we're _his mothers!"

Regina frowned in slight confusion at that. Emma's confusion at her own actions was far worse. She could feel weeks of working hard at being civil with Regina slipping away as she huffed with her hands on her hips and what she was sure was a deranged look in her eye. What was she so upset about? She didn't have time to figure it out so she decided to lie instead.

"I'm just trying to protect our deal. The more people know about this, the bigger the chance it'll get back to Mary Margaret and David," Emma explained praying that Regina would buy it.

"I highly doubt Kathryn's going to run to your parents and tell them," Regina argued.

She was right.

"I don't think you get the risk I'm taking here for you. If it comes out-"

"What?" Regina challenged. "What happens if it comes out?"

There were reasons. Many reasons that went through her mind everyday as to why she couldn't just tell Mary Margaret and David the truth. Valid reasons. But between the huffing and the false accusations, her throat felt like sandpaper and her tongue lay thick as it stuck to the roof of her mouth. Emma wished she knew the right magic so she could go back in time and start this conversation again.

Regina sighed softly, "I appreciate the effort you've made Miss Swan but you must understand that I live with the threat of losing my son for good every day. I didn't call you because I didn't want to give you the opportunity to change your mind. I live for these Fridays and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I have far more to lose than you."

"Regina, I-"

Kathryn appeared behind Regina silencing the sheriff. She felt awkward in the other blonde's presence- like a little girl.

"Regina," Kathryn said placing a hand on Regina's shoulder. "Don't be rude. Invite the good Sherriff in."

"I don't think-" Regina began.

"Thanks," Emma said stepping into the house and pushing past a surprised Regina.

Emma had fought her way into Kathryn's home without a second thought. She had been capable of impulsive things in her life but this was the strangest. The last thing she wanted was to be in a room with Regina and Kathryn but, if she was being honest with herself, Emma was curious when it came to Kathryn. She was once her father's wife. She was the only person who managed to form some kind of relationship with Regina. Only someone exceptional could achieve that. She did not know what she imagined she would find in Kathryn's home but she was irrationally disappointed in how normal it was.

She found Henry sitting on the couch watching a movie with many explosions in it and plopped down beside him. At least he was genuinely happy to see her.

"You okay?" Henry asked. Emma wondered how much of her confrontation with Regina he had heard.

"I don't know kid," Emma answered honestly. There was no point pretending at this point. She did not know what the hell was going on with her.

* * *

Regina furiously attacked the onions on the chopping board until she had decimated them into perfect little cubes with the swift use of a razor sharp blade. She turned to the green peppers showing just as little mercy as before and imagining it was a human heart that she was dicing instead. With regard to whose heart she was destroying, she did not know. The number of possible candidates seemed to increase with each day.

She heard careful footsteps approach from behind her in the kitchen but did not stop her silent venting on the chopping board.

"Regina," Kathryn began with a timid voice.

"This would not be the time to try and talk to me," Regina didn't miss a beat as she reached for a carrot and started peeling it. She liked using the knife. It was an honest weapon. It forced one to face one's victims up close. Magic was surreptitious. It hid in the shadows and snuck up on its targets leaving them no time to understand what was happening to them or why. It seemed to her that magic was kinder, metaphorical. There was nothing more real than the blood dripping from a slit throat.

"I understand you're angry," Kathryn tried again.

"I'm not angry," Regina spun around with the knife still firmly clasped in her hand. "Confused seems more appropriate. That _girl_ comes here to berate and insult me because she has the power to decide when I see _my _son and you just invite her in."

"If you put down the knife maybe we can talk about this calmly," Kathryn offered as she watched Regina swing the blade about.

Regina glared at Kathryn as she put the knife down on the counter behind her. "Speak," she demanded.

"Firstly, if Emma stays, this gives you more time with Henry. Which is what you want. You deserve more than one afternoon a week with your son."

"You think I don't know that?!" Regina barked. "You don't think that I'd just take him if I could? If I didn't think he'd hate me for it?!"

"Regina, you need to stop thinking from a place of anger and desperation."

"Are you calling me desperate?" Regina warned.

She liked Kathryn. She really did. But the blonde was quickly making her way to the top of the list of people she would like to slowly behead with the butcher knife.

"As any good mother who had her son taken away would be," Kathryn quickly recovered. "You need to start thinking like the queen slash mayor. What is the number one rule of politics?"

"Destroy anyone who may want to kill you later," Regina offered with a smirk.

Kathryn cocked her head to the side not amused by Regina's snide joke. Regina knew what Kathryn was getting at. It was the worst part of being a leader. She had learned it from her mother. The woman despised everyone but she never let that get in the way of negotiating powerful alliances that eventually saw her daughter become queen. It was a handy little tool of manipulation…

"Diplomacy," Regina responded.

Kathryn smiled, "If there is one person who can get you what you want, it's Emma. You need play nice with her."

"I have!"

"Not consistently. There's still some antagonism there. Let her see you as a person. Like I do."

"Like you do?" Regina raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, I would defend you to the end of the earth because I'm under the illusion that I know you." Kathryn explained.

"And what have you eluded yourself into thinking you know about me?" Regina asked with sincere interest.

It was very rare for anyone to share their insights on Regina with the Evil Queen herself. In her court, they cowered before her. As mayor, they never questioned her. Apart from Emma, none of them dared to be honest with her and she was happy with that. She didn't care about their opinions. But she could not help but be intrigued by what Kathryn's assessment would be.

"You love being bad," Kathryn began. "You love the power. You love the dark magic. You love saying whatever the hell you want and getting away with it. But… you are that rare species that loves forever- unconditionally. And I don't just mean Henry. You would do anything for the person you love and that makes you not so evil."

Regina remained still leaning against the counter. On the outside, Regina looked contemplative like she was just letting the analysis sink in but, internally, she felt exposed. This seemed to be happening to her a lot lately. What was it about the blondes in her life that they saw right through her like she was cellophane? What happened to the great Regina Mills being impenetrable, a perfect enigma for all time?

Because Kathryn was right. She had watched Daniel die twice and even though she had let him go, there was still a gaping hole in her heart where his love for her had been. If there was a spell to bring him back- the real him- she probably wouldn't think twice. For all her father's flaws and the fact that she killed him, she still mourned old Henry Mills every day. She had never been able to completely free herself from her mother's hold even though, if she looked hard enough, she could have found a way to kill her. At the end of the day, Cora was still her mother.

And then there was her son. No matter how many times he yelled at her, ran away, pushed her away, denounced her, hated her- she never stopped loving him. Not once. Not even for a millisecond. She subjected herself to Emma's scrutiny and Snow's judgement and the townsfolk's hatred… for him.

She loved too much and it was her curse. Eventually, it became everyone else's curse too.

"What was the second thing?" Regina asked quietly.

"The second? Oh, yes! Secondly, I have a theory," Kathryn revealed with a mischievous smile.

"A theory?"

"Mm hmm. I think she's jealous."

"Of me and Henry?!" Regina asked incredulously. There were many things that Regina imagined Emma would be jealous of: Regina's style, her ability to wield her power, the fact that she wasn't an actual blood relation of Snow White. But the last thing anybody would be jealous of was the fragile relationship she had with Henry.

Kathryn simply shook her head. She then gestured between herself and the former mayor. Regina didn't get it. Her and Kathryn. Her and Kathryn?

"Why on earth would she be jealous of you and me?" the blonde had completely lost Regina.

"I'm still trying to figure that part out," Kathryn confessed. "But think about it. When she was at your house last time and I showed up, she got very defensive."

"We were teasing her," Regina reasoned.

"And what about today," Kathryn pushed. "Why was she so upset that you asked me for help? Like you said, it's not like I'm going to go running to Mary Margaret."

Regina perked up at that, "You were listening to our conversation."

"The neighbours could hear your conversation."

Regina narrowed her eyes at Kathryn. She liked the idea of having something that Emma wanted but she could not imagine what interest Emma could possibly have in Kathryn. Again, she liked Kathryn but she was a bit too docile for the fiery sheriff.

"You don't buy it, do you?" Kathryn concluded. Regina shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, but you'll see I'm right."

* * *

Since the curse had broken, Kathryn had lived a rather dull life alone. She had not made any real friends during the curse which was probably why she was so open to being friendly with Mayor Mills. The only person who had truly mattered to her in the Enchanted Forest and now in a Storybrooke where the curse had broken was Frederick. On the days when she gathered enough courage to face her sad little existence outside the walls of her home, she could not help but hope that she would see him. That he would be behind a counter in a store, or driving in the car beside her or taking his dog on a walk down the street just as she stepped out of the bakery.

There were so many scenarios she played in her mind. Scenarios that only made her feel more lost and lonely than before.

And then one day, she reached for a pack of cookies and got a second chance with Regina instead. There was a time where she hated the former mayor like everyone else. She finally had her happy ending and it was ripped away from her. Never mind the way Regina had used her like a pawn in her twisted games with Mary Margaret. But then she remembered that even at the height of the mayor's power, there was still a sense of genuine loneliness about her. And in the moments when she spotted the mayor in the streets after the curse had broken, she saw how painfully Regina bore that loneliness.

It was one thing to feel devastation. It was something else completely to know that the people around you actively wished it for you. But Regina bore it. She took responsibility and did what she had to do to correct what she had done for her son's sake. Kathryn could not help but admire that. Especially from someone who could kill them all with a snap of her fingers.

What she could have never anticipated was that her rekindled friendship would give her a front row seat to the town's biggest secret: the Evil Queen and the White Knight becoming family. Well, it was more like the two of them trying not to kill each other for the sake of their son but if that didn't qualify as a real family, she didn't know what did. She liked the idea. The lands of their old world had endured so much tragedy, war and loss. The citizens of Storybrooke had to redefine themselves between their past and present lives. She, herself, found it difficult to reconcile Kathryn with Abigail. That princess was a different person who existed light years ago.

Wouldn't it be poetic genius if there was a reason for all that strife?

Perhaps the White Knight was born to save everyone including the Evil Queen?

Kathryn hid her secret smile behind sipping from her glass of wine as she watched the sworn enemies sit across from each other with a whole roasted chicken placed between them. They chatted with their son but never actually looked at each other.

They stole glances.

Glances which reflected their interest, curiosity, amusement, understanding. They passed plates of steaming vegetables back and forth as though they spent every Sunday around a table together eating lunch. Fingers brushed against each other, nervous apologies were made but Kathryn could feel the magic.

She finally understood why Emma was jealous.

* * *

Emma pulled up to the mansion and switched off the engine. It had been a quiet ride as Henry softly snored where he laid in the backseat and Regina stared out the window into the night sky. Somehow, what was meant to be a ten minute confrontation with Regina when picking up Henry had turned into a three hour dinner with two of the most unlikely people Emma would have ever imagined herself to enjoy a meal.

There had been a shift in Regina's demeanour from when she initially stormed into the kitchen after Kathryn's invitation to Emma and when she had re-emerged with an offer of a glass of wine. Emma had gratefully accepted it and, whether it was the change in Regina or the first sip of the full bodied Merlot, Emma's anxiety began to melt away.

The sheriff and the former mayor did not really engage in conversation between the two of them. They could not speak freely as they sometimes did when they were alone. It felt odd when there was an audience. There had always been an agreement between them that the truths and fears and levity and understandings they shared were theirs alone.

Perhaps that was why Emma had felt so disorientated. It was confusing to have two different ways of being with one person. There was the White Knight and the Evil Queen. The Knight had to be vigilant around the Queen: she could not trust her, could not see anything beyond her sins, could feel no sympathy for her and most certainly could not feel compelled to defend or protect her. It was easy to revert to this dynamic. It was expected of the Knight as she held the power- the moral high ground. Here, the Queen could not question, could not challenge and would have to accept whatever the Knight commanded or face certain imprisonment or even death.

And then there was Emma and Regina. Two lonely women with screwed up pasts and a son they adored. There were so many similarities between them that it sometimes scared Emma. There were moments when she could see herself in Regina. She could see the loss and the pain and the desperation for more. She did not what exactly but just… more than life had dealt them. When it was just Emma and Regina, the fighting seemed petty. It was just a game to keep up pretence. It was pure stubbornness in their refusal to accept that everything had changed now. It had changed when the curse broke and the truth was revealed. It changed when Regina had saved her life at the well. And it had changed the first time they sat in Archie's office.

It had changed when Regina had allowed Emma to see her- really see her- in a way that Emma was sure no one had seen the Evil Queen for decades.

She could feel that change now as they sat in silence in the car waiting for nothing in particular. Or where they just waiting for the courage to speak?

"Thank you for bringing me home," Regina's voice was just above a whisper.

"You're welcome," Emma drummed her fingertips against the bottom of the steering wheel. "I'm sorry… about before… going bat-shit crazy on you like that."

"That's an interesting way to put it."

"Well, it was crazy. I was… I don't know… you didn't deserve that. I'm always going on about the risks I'm taking and how tough it is for me and everything's on my schedule and it's just… dumb. I just really want this to work."

"You do?" there was a hint of scepticism to Regina's voice.

Emma rolled her eyes, "I feel like we've had this conversation before."

"We do tend to dwell," Regina observed. "Perhaps we need to open up our repertoire."

Emma shifter her body in her seat so that she faced Regina. "Okay, if we're not talking about Henry or how much you hate my parents-"

"Or how annoying you think I am…" Regina interjected with a smirk.

"… then what else do we talk about?" Emma finished.

"I think we'll need some time to figure that out, Princess."

Regina reached for the door handle.

"I have one," Emma said suddenly.

Regina let go of the handle and looked back at Emma. The street lamp outside created a bar of light across Regina's face illuminating her features surrounded by shadows. In that light, Emma could see how she was considered the fairest of them all.

"Why didn't you use magic to start the car," Emma asked simply.

Regina's eyes narrowed at that, "You know why."

"No one would've known."

"I would have."

"So?"

Regina sighed softly, "You don't understand magic. It becomes a part of a person like a limb. When you're born with it, you have to time to control it, understand it, nurture it. When you learn it, especially with the dark arts, it's something outside of yourself. I mean, it's inside of you but it isn't natural. It's powerful. It can swallow you whole. That's why we say magic has consequences. For a stable person, it's fine. But when the things that fuel your magic are hatred and anger and sadness… using it makes it easy to go to that dark place."

"But when we used it to find Henry, that was out of love," Emma defended.

"I think that had more to do with you than me," Regina argued.

And there it was again. The sadness rolling off Regina in waves. The memories of a foreign world returning to haunt her. Emma was never so intrigued with the stories of the Enchanted Forest more than when they gave her some insight on Regina. She wanted to know everything about her: to understand, to justify.

"I think you sell yourself short," Emma replied honestly.

"You really do make curious observations, Miss Swan."

Emma shrugged her shoulders with a smile. Regina turned back in her seat to watch the sleeping Henry. She reached out and let her fingers graze against his forehead brushing the hair off his face. She smiled at him and, in one uninterrupted motion, turned and climbed out of the car. Emma quickly rolled down the window on the passenger's side.

"Regina!"

Regina stopped and turned back to Emma with an expectant look. Emma knew she wanted to say something. Something significant. Something that would adequately encapsulate everything she did and didn't know she felt. But the right words failed her. Instead, she said…

"I'll see you around."

Regina gave a slight nod of her head and Emma watched her walk up the path to her front door.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: All I really have to say is that you people are wonderful! Your reviews and follows and favorites keep me motivated. So today I have a little treasure hunt in this chapter. Ten points to whoever can spot a reference to another blonde/brunette awesome TV lesbo show;)**

Chapter Twelve

Regina had taken to sitting at her dining table and polishing silver when the doorbell rang. She had been thorough- ensuring her little brush reached every crook and cranny of the rarely used tea pot with the precision of an obsessive mind. Kathryn had been correct. Regina loved having power. She missed it. Being at the mercy of those who were inferior to her and showed nothing but disdain for her, made her fingertips burn with the need to obliterate something or someone- anyone.

And who had brought the mighty Evil Queen to her knees? A car mechanic. An incredibly late mechanic who probably used to be a drunk or a bandit in Fairy Tale Land. Once, he would have rushed to get his chubby ass to her house five minutes after she called him. Now it had been…

The doorbell rang again. Her hand shook slightly as she put down the brush and took a calming breath. She soon realised that it was useless as she marched up to the door, swung it open and fully prepared herself for a monumental tongue lashing of the mechanic when she saw Henry and Emma at her door instead.

She paused in surprise.

"Hi," Emma greeted her with a hint of nervousness.

"Hello," Regina responded but it came out more like a question. It went without saying that she would have never anticipated the pair at her door on a Saturday morning. Things had ended cordially enough the previous night but their unexpected arrival made her panic slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. We umm… we umm…" Emma stammered.

"We came to fix your car," Henry explained with a strange look thrown at Emma. He stepped aside so Regina could see the toolbox in Emma's hand.

The surprises kept on coming.

"I called a mechanic," said Regina.

"Oh, oh that's fine. We were just in-"

"The neighbourhood," Regina interrupted Emma. The sheriff gave a reluctant smile. Regina knew that she was unfairly teasing Emma but she could not stop herself.

"We'll go," Emma offered and turned away.

Without thinking, Regina's hand flew out and grabbed Emma's arm stopping her from leaving. The blonde turned back and looked from Regina's hand on her arm to Regina's dark eyes just as the former mayor had once done but with a lot less contempt. Regina did not release the blonde from her grip.

"He's over an hour late," Regina revealed. "Stay."

Regina looked over at Henry and ran her fingers through his sandy hair, "Both of you."

* * *

There were moments, the blurry moments between sleep and reality, when Regina would forget. She forgot that she was an Evil Queen who created a curse and that curse was broken and with it her life destroyed. In those moments, she was just a woman living in a sleepy town with her son living a blissfully ordinary life. She expected to walk downstairs and be greeted by Henry. They would make breakfast together. She would secretly enjoy watching morning cartoons with him. They would go riding, or to the park or take a drive to a lake. Stay home and play board games or work in the garden. Ordinary things that the rest of the world took for granted, she craved. And she hated it when reality sunk in and she realised that she would never have that sense of normalcy. She had accepted it just as she accepted all of the shortcomings in her life.

So how was she standing on her porch with a tray of cider in her hands watching Emma and her son tink away at her engine and experiencing the greatest feeling of normalcy she had ever known? Winter was supposedly creeping in but the sun had come out to play and she could not remember the last time the sky was so blue. Her street was quiet. It was rarely used before the curse had broken and now it was like a no-go area for the town's residents. She wouldn't have minded it so much if it weren't so damn silent in her own house and all she had were her thoughts to keep her company. However today, as she took in the morning air, she was glad for the peace. It was as if she, Emma and Henry were in their own realm which no one else could disrupt. All of the fears and strife they had with the rest of the world could not exist here.

She watched Henry wipe his brow leaving a substantial grease smear behind. He looked up at her smiling and, seeing the cool refreshments, raced over to her without hesitation. He downed half the glass in one eager gulp.

"Not so fast, Henry," Regina chided the boy.

"Sorry," he huffed. "I missed your cider."

Regina smiled. Any suggestion that he held dear anything related to his life before he became a Charming warmed her. He sat on the porch steps and she sat beside him setting down the tray on the floor. She scrutinised him as he took a more modest sip of his drink. She ran her finger across the tail end of the grease mark on his forehead and smudged the black substance. She then instinctively licked her thumb pad and began wiping away at his forehead.

"Mom," Henry groaned as he fought Regina off. "That's gross!"

"Well, you can't very well walk around looking like a child labourer," Regina argued.

"I'll clean it off myself," Henry mumbled.

"Fine," Regina replied with a slight grin.

They silently observed Emma work. She seemed possessed by the same obsessiveness that had driven Regina to attack her silver. Regina had no idea what the blonde was doing. Emma's blue shirt was wrapped around her waist so that she moved about in her white tank top. From where she sat, Regina could just make out the sheen of sweat that clung to the skin of the sheriff's well-defined biceps. She had tied up her blonde hair into a messy bun revealing her neck which she used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat off. She frowned and smiled as she played with the various mechanics of the car and Regina was so caught up in watching Emma that she did not realise that Henry was talking to her.

"Mom," Henry called a bit too loudly.

Regina turned and faced her son who looked back at her as though he was running out of patience.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying," Regina asked.

Henry shook his head slightly, "I'm thinking of trying out for the baseball team."

"Baseball team," Regina was confused. Her son had never shown any interest in sports.

"Yeah, Emma's been teaching me and I practise a lot with Grandpa. I'm not too bad at it."

Regina worked hard to keep her composure. Her little bookworm was changing. He had new influences which kept opening up his world more and more making her hold in his life smaller with every passing day.

"I'm sure you're excellent," Regina managed to say.

"Awww Mom, you don't even know anything about baseball," Henry accused.

"I don't need to know about baseball. I know you. And I know there's nothing you can't do, Henry," Regina replied honestly.

"You know, everyone thinks I'm so brave and strong because Emma's mom. They forget who raised me," Henry said with his eyes on the floor.

"As long as you don't forget, I don't care."

"I don't," Henry looked up at her. "I haven't."

Regina decided to be selfish. She knew that she was supposed to give the boy time and space but when they sat like this and talked like this, she could not help herself. She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and let it hang there without ceremony. The boy didn't nuzzle up against his adoptive mother but he didn't move away either. Regina was more than willing to take what she could get.

Emma looked up and saw the embrace. She smiled at Regina who could not help but smile in return. In the entire time that she had known Emma, she had never been more grateful for her existence or her kindness because it could have been nothing but kindness that would have inspired this impromptu Saturday morning treat. So much had changed in a year.

Emma walked over to them wiping her hands on her jeans.

"Mind if have one of those," Emma asked. Regina raised an eyebrow at her. "The cider," Emma quickly clarified.

Regina released her son and poured a glass of cider from the jug. She handed it to the sheriff.

"Are we done with the car yet," Henry asked sounding rather bored with all the hard work.

"I think so kid," Emma responded.

"Can I go inside now," there was an edging of whining to his tone.

Regina and Emma looked at each and then back at the boy. "Yes, Henry."

Henry's face lit up as he put down his glass and raced toward the house.

"Don't forget to clean your face," Regina yelled after him as she watched him run through the front door. Emma took Henry's place beside Regina on the steps.

"I don't think our son has a future in manual labour," Emma mused.

"Good thing he's a royal," Regina replied as Henry disappeared from her eye line and she turned to Emma. Emma took a gulp of the cider much like Henry did. Regina stopped herself from scolding the sheriff too.

"I could have done with the alcoholic version of this," Emma said raising her glass slightly.

"I'm sure Henry would have appreciated that," Regina said disapprovingly.

Emma took another big sip.

"Yesterday was… interesting," Emma resumed the conversation.

"Indeed."

"You must thank Kathryn again for me. I'm sure it was weird for her to have me in her house."

"I think she enjoyed it," Regina said thinking about her conversation with Kathryn in the kitchen. She still thought the idea that Emma was jealous of her relationship with Kathryn was ridiculous.

"What was that," Emma was looking straight at Regina.

"What?"

"That weird look. What were you thinking?"

"Nothing," Regina attempted nonchalance but could instantly tell it wasn't working.

"Come on, Regina. I know you," Emma prodded.

"A lot of people seem to think that lately," Regina mused aloud. "You don't want to hear it. It's silly."

"I like silly," Emma pressed even further.

There really was no point in sharing a private conversation between friends with the sheriff especially when the sheriff was the topic of such inane talk but there was a curiosity that gripped Regina in that moment. She already knew the answer to the question but she could not help but wonder how the great Saviour would react to that question. It had been a while since she had played with her little former nemesis.

With a sly grin, Regina picked up the jug on the tray and slowly poured herself a glass of cider. She could feel Emma's impatience behind her and her smirk only widened. Regina then took a long sip of her drink as Emma rolled her eyes.

"Would you just spit it out already," Emma was exasperated.

Regina pulled the glass away from her lips, "Kathryn's under the… impression that you're jealous of my relationship with her."

Emma's eyes widened slightly, "And what relationship with that be?"

"A friendly one," Regina's eyes dared Emma to react.

But there was nothing. No outrage. No scorn. Just silence as Emma seemed to process Kathryn's observation. Regina was disappointed in the anti-climax. Perhaps the good sheriff had mellowed thanks to motherhood and the change in their dynamic. She resisted the urge to express this disappointment by taking another sip of her drink.

"She's right," Emma blurted out.

The admission caught Regina so off guarded that she spewed a shower of cider. She looked back at Emma in completely shock as she coughed and cleared her throat.

"Are you okay," Emma asked.

"Why… the hell… would you be jealous," Regina asked between gasps. Emma looked horrified by her own confession.

"You were right. This is stupid. I should check your car," Emma tried to stand but Regina grabbed her wrist and brought her crashing down onto the steps again.

"Speak," Regina's voice was hoarse.

Emma bit her bottom lip with a frown on her face. Regina's relentless gaze kept her trapped where she was until she spoke.

"You're different with her," Emma explained. "You two have inside jokes and dinners and you don't go around calling her Miss Nolan."

"Why does that matter?"

"I dunno. Just does," Emma shrugged. "Mary Margaret was my friend and then she became my mother and, now, apparently Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood are best friends and… everyone's been so great to me but I'm on the outside looking in. You were the only person who understood how that feels. But now-"

"I am not on the inside," Regina interrupted. She had always existed on the fringe even at the height of her power as queen and mayor. People were around her because they had to be not because she was one of them.

"But you are. You have a person," Emma argued. Regina knew that she was referring to Kathryn.

"So, is this an audition to be my new person," Regina asked playfully.

"That's pushing it a little far, Your Highness."

"Then what, Miss Swan?"

"That!" Emma exclaimed pointing at the brunette. "You're not the mayor anymore. We've known each other longer than a day. I think you can call me Emma by now."

"Fine," Regina sighed.

"Fine who?"

Regina glared at the sheriff. The blonde was not making the journey to liking her easy, "Fine… Emma."

"Wait," Emma held out her hands and remained still as though she were waiting for something to happen. "You hear that? The world didn't end. Hallelujah!"

"Ha-ha," Regina replied sarcastically.

Regina had enjoyed calling her Storybrooke subjects by their last names. It created a definitive barrier between them. First names were too familiar. Next, Emma would be showing up at her house unannounced.

Wait. That already happened all the time.

"Miss Swan-"

"Uh-uh," Emma gave a disapproving shake of her index finger. It was Regina's turn to roll her eyes.

"Emma," Regina stressed the name. "Would you please stop stalling and get my car fixed."

"Oh!"

Emma hopped up with a smile and bounced over to the car. She opened the driver's door and with a deep bow said, "My queen."

Regina sauntered over to the car. Emma produced the car keys from her front pocket and handed them to Regina before the former mayor slid into her seat and Emma shut the door. The blonde then leaned against the door frame so that her head hovered near Regina's.

Regina started the car but the engine quickly gave out. Emma instructed the brunette to be patient with the car and, with the second attempt, the engine roared to life. Emma laughed gleefully she slapped the top of the car with her hand. Regina knew that Emma would be insufferable after this.

"How do you know anything about fixing cars anyway? Was that the special skill you learnt in prison?" Regina goaded the sheriff.

"Firstly have you seen my car? And secondly, I was in electrical appliances in prison. So if you need a lamp or a dryer fixed, I'm your girl," Emma explained.

"And you were picked to be the Saviour," Regina replied shutting off the engine.

"Saved your car didn't I," Emma was already getting cocky.

Regina was fully prepared to knock the good sheriff down a few pegs but when she turned to face the blonde she found herself looking straight into deep green eyes and the words caught in her throat. The two women did not move- barely breathed- as their eyes locked and their faces hovered inches from each other. Regina realised that she had never been this close to the sheriff. The spicy smell of the blonde's body lotion mixed with her sweat and the power of her penetrating gaze overwhelmed the queen's senses.

"I'm going to tell them," Emma said quietly.

"What," Regina was still in a daze.

"My parents. I know I said I would but… I will."

Regina nodded her head not trusting her voice.

"I'm gonna go wash up," Emma did not break eye contact.

"Okay."

Emma lingered for another moment and then stepped back from the car. She then turned and walk to the house. Regina slumped back into her seat. She told herself that the warmth she felt was from the generous winter sun.

* * *

Regina waited in her car as she did every Friday. She had grown to appreciate the waiting as it usually helped calm her before seeing Henry. If the boy knew how much of her mind was occupied with planning and preparing for his visits, he would probably run from the pressure. She always had to play it cool with him and she had become rather good at faking that.

However, when she saw him pop around the corner and walk toward the car, she could not stop herself from jumping out the car and moving around the front to greet him. There was a slight clumsiness to their Friday greetings. They both knew that she longed to hug him but she had always restricted herself to a loving pat on the shoulder as she asked him how his day had gone. She had expected nothing different today so when the boy stepped forward and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her middle, her body went rigid in shock. But he did not let go even as she slowly lifted her arms and held the boy so carefully as though he were an endangered animal she feared chasing away.

She held him close to her. She could feel him breathing against her and it was as though he were breathing life into her weary heart. She smiled into his hair. The first smile of a genuinely happy spirit and, at first, she did not recognise the figure standing across the street watching them. But then she realised. The happy haze wafted away to reveal reality. Standing there, hands clenched and teeth gritted was Charming.

**A/N 2: Uh-oh!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ten points to awesome guest reviewer DA for correctly guessing the hidden _Orange is the New Black _reference! Some fandoms have all the luck with their lady loving pairings. Now back to our ladies who are still pretending they aren't made for each other...**

Chapter Thirteen

They say that nothing good lasts forever. Every cloud may have a silver lining but every peak had a valley too. No one knew that more than Regina Mills. She had spent her entire adult life without hope so that she would never have to be disappointed again. But somehow, somewhere along the way she had forgotten herself. She had allowed herself to believe that things could be different. She had faith that if she tried hard enough or waited long enough, she would get her second (or was it third) chance at a real life. She had faith in Henry. She had faith in Emma.

So, of course it all ended in _this_ moment. The one beautiful moment when her son embraced her and she could smell the top of his head the way she used to when he was just a sweet natured baby. They had made it through sleepless nights in his infancy; the adventurous discoveries of boyhood and had tackled more than enough pre-adolescent angst in the past two years than most parents would have to endure in their child's entire lifetime. Now, when it seemed they were finally turning a corner, when she finally believed that someday her son would truly love her, it all had to fall to pieces.

For whatever reason, she did not panic as she watched Charming march over to them. She had quickly learnt that nothing could ever be accomplished through fear. She simply pushed her son back lightly, held him by the shoulders and looked straight into his eyes.

"Everything's going to be okay," she told him reassuringly.

"What," Henry began but David reached them before the boy could say anymore.

"What is this," Charming demanded as he approached them.

Henry jumped and turned at the sound of his grandfather's voice. Regina maintained her grip on her son's shoulder.

"Grandpa. What are you doing here," the boy was alarmed.

"I want you to wait across the street for me Henry," David tried to keep his temper in check but he was failing miserably.

"But Grandpa-"

"Now, Henry!" David commanded.

Regina could feel a shiver jolt through her son's small frame. She turned him around and dropped to her haunches so that she was eye-level with the boy.

"What day is it today," she asked quietly.

"Friday," Henry responded.

"And whose time is it?"

Regina could see her son straighten a little as he replied, "Ours."

"That's right. It's our time. We're not doing anything wrong," Regina assured her son as she placed a hand on the back of his neck. He nodded. "Get in the car."

Without looking back at his grandfather, Henry made his way to the passenger's door. Charming's calls to the boy fell on reluctantly deaf ears as he slipped into the car and shut the door. Regina stood up so she faced Charming.

"Let him go," he hissed.

"No," Regina replied simply.

"This is kidnapping."

"I'm his mother!"

"Emma is his mother," he challenged.

"And _Emma _knows exactly where he is and who he's with."

The Prince stopped at that. His eyes narrowed as he searched her face for any signs of bullshit. There was nothing but the confidence that Regina possessed at, for once, having the higher ground.

"You're lying," Charming accused.

Regina turned and retrieved her cellphone from the car. She held it out to Charming. "Call her."

"Regina, this was not-"

"As much as I enjoy our little catch up sessions dear," Regina interrupted. "I only have so much time with my son and I refuse to spend that time arguing with you. If there's a problem, take it up with your daughter and leave me the hell alone."

Before he could respond, Regina hopped into her car and drove off. As she sped away, she dialled Emma's number.

"_Yeah," _Emma answered after the fourth ring.

"We've got a situation," Regina revealed.

* * *

Emma paced around her office. Her restlessness consumed her as she mentally prepared a speech for David. But what were the right words to explain such a clear betrayal? Because whether she intended it or not, that was exactly what her stunt with Regina would be perceived as- betrayal. She had dreaded this moment. Imagined it. Postponed it. Irrationally prayed that it would never come. She felt like a teenager who had totalled her father's car and was now waiting for the inevitable punishment. Except this was worse. Much, much worse.

In all her distraction, Emma did not see David standing in the doorway watching her. So when her eyes fell upon his figure in passing, she jumped in surprise. She had seen David furious several times and most of those instances were because of Regina but there was something different in his dark expression. He just stared at her, unmoving, and she could not bring herself to say anything to break the cold silence. He then shuffled forward but stopped ensuring a large gap between them.

"I was coming over here expecting that you would be shocked by what I saw today. But one look at you and I know Regina was telling the truth. I wonder if that's a father thing," David said quietly.

"I need you to understand that I was just trying-"

""I don't want to hear it," David cut her off. "I don't care."

"David," Emma tried again.

"There is nothing that you could say to justify this."

Emma tried to recall her speech but it was useless. She seemed to lose the ability to speak. The disappointment reflected in David's eyes broke her heart. She had experienced so much difficulty with accepting the man as her father but, as she turned away from him, she felt a daughter's shame. She hated herself for disappointing him. She hated herself for being weak and not telling him the truth. She could have found another way- a better way- to go about all this but instead she chose to be a coward. The Saviour was a coward.

David made his way to the door.

"Wait! Can we talk about this," Emma felt desperate. She needed the chance to fix this.

"No," David replied without looking back.

"Where are you going," she asked.

He did not respond. He simply walked out the station. She knew exactly where he was going. She followed him.

* * *

Regina had been waiting for the unavoidable knock on her door. As much as Regina had faith in Emma, she knew her parents' hatred of the former Evil Queen would be greater. Nothing would stop them from using this as their ultimate excuse to get rid of the Queen once and for all. And so when she found Prince Charming fuming, once again, on her doorstep, she was able to retain a cool exterior.

"Twice in one day. Lucky me," Regina said glibly.

"Where's Henry," Charming asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he pushed past Regina and forced his way into her house just as he had done the day Henry had gone missing. A day that had changed the course of events for everyone. Regina could have never imagined that her son's second disappearance would eventually bring her son back to her and result in an unlikely alliance with the White Knight. The rules just kept changing in this post-curse world.

Emma walked up the pathway to the mansion with her arms crossed over middle. The blonde looked somewhat shell shocked and whatever misguided faith Regina had left seemed to evaporate with every step the sheriff took that brought her closer to the front door.

A part of Regina half expected Emma to make an inappropriate joke. Regina would return it with an insulting little jab and, although they wouldn't laugh out loud, they would both feel better because they were on the same page- the same team. But that never did work in the real world with all these other people. The real world was poisoning the fantasy that they had created. It was a miracle they had even made it this far.

Regina followed Emma into the house where Charming marched about calling Henry's name like a deranged idiot.

"He's upstairs. He probably has his headphones on," Regina explained as though she were speaking to a four year old.

"Maybe that's for the best. He shouldn't see this," Charming deduced.

"See what," Regina asked.

"I'm taking you into custody."

Regina was hardly surprised. Locking her up seemed to be Charming's sole purpose in life. Alternatively, Emma was genuinely stunned.

"What," the blonde exclaimed.

"She broke the rules Emma," Regina could feel the twinge of pain in Charming's voice as he said his daughter's name. This incident had cut him deeply. She could not help the small feeling of satisfaction at that.

"With my permission," Emma argued.

"It doesn't matter," replied David.

"And I suppose it doesn't matter that I'm the sheriff and you can't just arrest whoever the hell you feel like arresting."

"No it doesn't," David turned and looked at Regina. "I should have done this the second the curse broke."

Regina glared back at Charming. Emma would never understand how much these two despised each other and how deeply that history went. It was engrained in them. Regina could not imagine that anything, not even their shared love for Henry or the return of the Saviour, could change that. They were old, bitter lost causes.

"She's done everything right," Emma pleaded. "She did everything we asked. She's not the same person anymore."

"Do you really believe that," a new voice entered the exchange. They all turned to find Snow White standing in the room.

Emma turned back to her father, "You called her?"

"Of course he called me," Snow chastised her daughter. "What were you thinking Emma?"

Emma took a moment before responding. She looked at Regina for the first time.

"I was doing what was best for Henry," Emma said.

"You think she's what's best for Henry," David asked incredulously.

"This has been tough on him," Emma explained. "Henry felt caught between me and Regina so Archie said-"

"Archie? Archie knew about this," Snow interrupted in question.

"Yeah. We sorta did the therapy thing together," revealed Emma.

"That was months ago. You're telling us this has been going on for months," Snow was aghast.

Regina could feel the same twinge she heard in Charming's voice. It took every ounce of strength to stop herself from smiling.

"Kinda," Emma was as eloquent as ever.

A lull fell over the room. The Charming family misery was getting to Regina. She hated having so many of them in her house especially in the times when they falsely accused her of wrong doing. Regina was very rarely innocent of crimes she was accused of so on those special occurrences she milked it for all she could.

"As much as I enjoy witnessing your little family unit implode, I think the facts have been established and you can all leave now," Regina broke the silence.

"I'm still taking you in," Charming insisted.

"On what grounds? I've complied with all your little rules."

"You haven't changed," Snow announced.

Regina looked up at her, "You're still alive aren't you, my dear Snow?"

Snow White took measured steps towards the former Evil Queen. Charming shifted slightly so that his wife could stand before her step-mother.

"I want to know one thing. You have to be honest and maybe we'll let you go," Snow offered.

"Snow," Charming interjected.

"Please," Snow got her husband to back off.

"Very well," Regina accepted. Needless to say, she was intrigued.

Snow White took a long moment before asking, "Do you regret it? What you did to me, James, my father, Emma, everyone in this town, everyone back home- do you regret any of it?"

Regina could hear the soft sound of movement at the top of the stairs. She knew Henry was listening to them. The wrong answer could be the end of her relationship with him. And then she looked at Emma and was surprised by what she saw staring back at her. Hope. The desperate hope that Regina would say 'yes'. Regina then looked back at Snow White. Whether as a little princess or a doe-eyed school teacher, every incarnation of the woman infuriated Regina beyond words. More so every time she remembered that she had almost loved Snow White. How different their story could have been.

"No," Regina replied simply. "My only regret is that I didn't kill you when I had the chance."

They were not her words. They were not _this _Regina's words. They were the words of a woman who had died a long time ago because she had nothing but revenge to live for. _This _Regina had chosen those words specifically because they recalled the past. A past that none of them could divorce themselves from. A past that made her who she was: a cold, destructive, evil queen.

She watched Emma's face fall in slow motion. Snow shook her head in pity and stepped aside as Charming grabbed Regina's arm and pulled her out the house. Regina did not fight it. She could feel Henry and Emma's eyes on her but did not have the courage to look back at them. If any part of the past few months with them was real, they would soon understand.

She just prayed that it was real.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"_Man is not imprisoned by habit. Great changes in him can be wrought by crisis- once that crisis can be recognised and understood" – _Norman Cousins

The concept of imprisonment had never been foreign to her. The physical constrictions that had always attempted to snuff out her fiery spirit only made her burn brighter and stronger than before. Whether it was the walls or cell bars of people who were supposed to protect her or those determined to defeat her, she emerged every time seemingly unscathed with her usual tough girl armour firmly intact.

It was the emotional imprisonment that she battled with. She was locked inside conflicting and overwhelming feelings that paralysed her and disassociated her from the person she had always thought she was. She had rolled through her life like Teflon and it had enabled her to dodge the inevitable melodrama that came with getting involved with people- caring about them. Emma Swan was now trapped in an emotional hell and it was worse than any foster home or jail she had ever been thrown in because now it involved people she actually loved.

As she watched her father drag her child's adoptive mother away, Emma had blanked. There was something she was supposed to say. There was something she was supposed to do. But she could not escape the truth that her next move would change everything forever. This was what she had been avoiding from the moment she first agreed to the therapy sessions with Archie. Even back then, she knew that this moment would come. A moment of crisis and subsequent clear choice. She had to choose between the family whose blood ran through her veins and the potential family that she had slowly been cultivating under the most unexpected circumstances.

Even the most badass abandoned kids she had encountered growing up longed to be reunited with their parents. Of course they never admitted it. Their so-called biological parents could go fuck themselves for all they cared. But every night- after the fighting and yelling and when everyone lay in bed waiting for sleep to settle in- Emma swore she could hear their silent prayers that one day God would bring their parents back or at least find someone to love them in spite of their brokenness and despair.

She had uttered those words too.

As insanely as the entire thing had played out, she was a very rare kind- her prayer was answered. As difficult as it had been for adult Emma to reconcile herself to it, the child was terrified that it would not last. She would wake up and be back in some group home without parents and a son and a whole town of people who loved her. How many times had that happened to her? How many times had she been sent back like a sack of rotten potatoes never to be picked off the shelf again?

So what if Mary Margaret and David were her real parents? So what if it seemed that they loved her unconditionally? Years and years of rejection were a difficult thing to shake off. And as she witnessed the disappointment in her parents' eyes, she clearly understood what she had feared all along (the thing that had held her back so definitively and stopped her from being the take-no-bullshit-Emma-Swan she had always been) was that she would be sent back again. Her parents would not understand her choices with Regina and the cycle of rejection would continue without end.

What further complicated the matter was that Emma was not only a daughter, she was a mother too. She spotted Henry standing at the top of the stairs. One look from the boy could sometimes make her feel powerless just as he was able to make her feel as though she were the most formidable human being who ever existed. There was something about being a parent that felt completely in and out of control and the unending rollercoaster ride that came with that role made her queasy. She knew that it was the adjustment period. She was unprepared because she never imagined the chance for her to do things right would ever come again.

When she was in labour with him- somewhere between the screaming and excruciating pain- Emma had laid her hand on her swollen belly and made a silent prayer she had not prayed in years. She begged to whatever goodness there was left in this horrible world that her son would be with someone who loved him. She hoped her sins would not be counted against the innocent child and that whatever darkness was within her would never taint him. She could never imagine he would be put in the arms of a woman who epitomised fairytale evil and when she had first arrived in Storybrooke, she cursed herself for not protecting him from someone so vile.

But Emma saw something in Regina the day the curse had broken but before everything had changed. She saw a mother wracked with guilt and pain at the sight of her suffering son. And in the days and weeks and months that followed, she saw a woman who would do everything she could to _earn _the love of her son. Emma was under no illusion that Regina could not take Henry away whenever she wanted to. She was sure the former Evil Queen fully had her magic back by now and, if she looked hard enough, could find a way into some other parallel universe or just wipe out the entire Charming family… but she didn't. She stayed. She put up with everyone's shit. She waited. For Henry.

Emma was not from a fairytale world. Regina's recent actions were the greatest declaration of love she had ever witnessed. And Henry knew it. He knew that he was loved. Emma's prayer had been answered. Of course she would have preferred her son to end up with some nice boring suburban couple, but nothing about Emma Swan's life had ever been easy.

Regina had made the first move by putting Henry before her own vendettas. It was Emma's turn to put him before her own girlhood dreams of a happily ever after with her parents. It was time for her to make a choice that would enact a change so she could free herself from the imprisonment of her own making. She bolted out the house and yelled for her father to stop as he pulled Regina down the walking path toward his car.

Both her parents and Regina looked back at her in surprise. She stood on the porch and was really pissed off when the right words didn't magically spring from her lips in a moving speech which- if this were a movie- would no doubt be played to some bullshit weepy orchestral soundtrack. In true Swan fashion, Emma was going to figure it out as she went along.

"You have to let her go," Emma finally found her voice.

"Emma we talked enough about this," David argued.

"No. We haven't. You may be my father and the king of fairytale land but I'm the sheriff of Storybrooke, I'm the Saviour and I'm Henry's mother. I make the decisions when it comes to my son. If you want to talk about it, that's fine but Regina isn't going anywhere," Emma remained firm.

David looked at Mary Margaret who shook her head back at him in disbelief. She then turned to her daughter.

"How can you defend her after everything she's put us through? You've been alone all your life because of her," Emma could hear the hurt in her mother's voice but she resolved to stay strong on this.

"I know that," Emma began. "But it's not about me. It's not about your history with her. It's about Henry. I should have told you about all this but I was scared and that was wrong. But I'm doing what I think's best for my son," Emma's eyes found Regina's. "Our son."

A strange look past over Regina's face. Her body seemed to relax even as she was firmly held by David.

"Emma this is a mistake," David warned.

"Fine, but according to some dumb after school special, parents are supposed to let their kids make their own mistakes so they can grow or some shit like that. If it all goes to hell, I'll deal with it. That's what you said to me David- you make choices, you deal with them and live with it. You said you had faith in me. I'm just asking you to prove it."

Emma could tell that David was not impressed with his words being used against him. She knew she had to push it further.

"Or I'll take Henry and we'll leave," Emma threatened. She had truly hoped it would not come down to this ultimatum. It was the last thing she wanted to do. She was using her parents' love as a weapon against them and it was the dirtiest trick she had ever played.

"Emma," Mary Margaret gasped.

"I don't want to," Emma explained. "After all these years, I want to be with my family. I want that for Henry, too. But that can't happen if she's locked up."

David didn't need to look at his wife for confirmation. Emma knew she had backed them into a corner so tight and dark that she feared they may never find their way out of again. He let go of Regina's arm. For once, Regina made her way back into the house without a snarky comment or devilish smile. Emma was grateful for it. She had never seen her parents as lost as they were now as they stared at her. There was only so much courage that Emma could muster up when it came to them and now she was running on empty.

"I'm sorry," she said simply. It was not enough. It could never be enough. If only she could cut herself open so they could see the depth of the regret she felt. If only they knew how much she wished that she could have wrapped her arms around them and tearfully call them Mom and Dad the second the curse had broken. If only they knew how much it killed her to sacrifice the relationship they had tried so carefully to build together. If only…

But they walked away. David with his comforting arm around Mary Margaret's shoulders securing her close to his side exactly where she belonged.

And it broke little Emma Swan's bruised heart.

**A/N: Okay, so I pushed to upload this chapter in less than my usual week timeframe because I couldn't handle the reaction to Emma. I love all of your passion it's just a little tough for me when I know how everything's going to play out. For me, Emma has had it the toughest in Storybrooke. To go from being a loner with a rough childhood to suddenly having this whole fairytale family has to be the biggest mind-fuck anyone has ever gone through next to Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father and I think the show glossed over that a little. These are all very flawed characters who do things for strange reasons that make sense to them. And I try not to make it all too easy for them. It's only in adversity that people grow, change and realize what's important to them (which we will soon discover with Regina too).**

**But I really want to say a sincere thank you to everyone who has been reviewing and following and please keep telling me what you think. I promise I'm not the overly-precious type:)**

**To be continued...**


End file.
